8th Edition of the Golden Lyre Competition: And the Winner Is…

The challenge posed to the candidates was formidable, as they had to prepare three platters in just 2 hours and 30 minutes following these guidelines: a traditional platter comprising 7 to 9 cheeses for 15 people, a reception platter for 20 people where all cheeses had to be presented pre-cut, and a snacking platter including 3 types of "ready-to-eat" preparations with cheese as the main ingredient.

The presence of the candidates' families ensured a warm atmosphere throughout the afternoon, where we saw candidates compete in creativity to represent soccer balls, bicycles, athletic tracks, and tennis balls in cheese, at the heart of fabulous presentations. Hauts-de-France in the spotlight.

In the end, to roaring applause, the jury delivered its verdict. The winner was Grégoire Declemy from Fromagerie Julien Planchon (Amiens), followed by Gaëlle Poder from the fromagerie Chez Virginie (Paris), and Clément Garand from Les Garçons Fromagers (Dole).

"I'm not going to be able to sleep," declared the winner just minutes after the results, thus being rewarded for not continuing his career in the field of chemistry, for which his initial training had seemingly predestined him. It just goes to show that all roads lead to cheese…