Obsession is the key to success. Jessica Fernandez started as a saleswoman in Mexico's best cheese store; today she is an affineur and judge in major international competitions.
The story
Mexico is famous for many things, from endless beaches to tortillas; somewhat less so for cheese, which until a few years ago came to the table only in the form of quesillo fresco, cotija and manchego type for quesadillas. Something began to change when siblings Carlos and Georgina Yescas opened a specialty store in Mexico City called Lactography, beginning to market niche products from the country's farms and ranches. In this way many consumers discovered new types of cheeses, from sheep, cow, and goat milk.
Two cheeses stuck with her: pecorino aged in Rancho San Josemaria Viña Milagro's red wine and Gatekeeper aged in the Crown Finish Caves in Brooklyn, which are unfortunately no longer active. Increasingly involved, Jessica even studied biology to become an affineur, as well as taking cheese-making courses and continuing her visits to producers, who, however, almost always process fresh dairy products in Mexico, with no room for aging them. A visit to the 2018 World Cheese Awards in Spain together with the owners followed: they co-financed the study trip. An opportunity to further expand his knowledge base, despite an ongoing gastroenteritis. The following year, in addition to attending Slow Food's Bra Cheese Festival, she was already a juror at the WCA while supporting herself with a temporary job abroad. A responsibility that, she confesses, made her feel insecure: "That's when you know you can change the luck of a cheese forever." There were also Mexican products selected by the Yascas brothers, to be arranged for the best.
"When we buy a cheese, it becomes ours and we have the ability to direct it according to the (aging) profiles we want. It's not easy to agree with all the links in the dairy chain, so we prefer to age it ourselves." It's not just about bloomy rinds, but also washed rind, which are her obsession. For example, those washed with stout and cocoa beer, French cider and Mexican sake, the latter which won a gold medal in Brazil and bronze one at the WCAs in Geneva.
Source: Siete Canibales
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