Monte Fresco Cheese Workshop with Founder Sam Montalto

Overview

In Australia, we have one man to thank for introducing us to ricotta — and that's Salvatore Montalto. In 1959, Salvatore moved here from Sicily, bringing with him a lifetime's experience of cheesemaking.

In 2015, his son Sam followed in his footsteps by founding Monte Fresco Cheese in Smithfield — an artisan cheese company that produces premium ricotta, feta and halloumi for restaurants, cafes and consumers nationwide. The company has won gold multiple times at the Royal Easter Show.

On July 10, Montalto is giving you the chance to find out how he does it. For 90 cheesy minutes, you'll go deep behind the scenes at Monte Fresco.

Expect to learn the secrets behind Montalto's cheesemaking techniques, see a live cheesemaking demonstration, and (of course) have cheese tastings galore. Tickets are just $10 and available online.

The Monte Fresco Cheese workshop is just one event in the second of Powerhouse Museum's Powerhouse Food: Producers series, which celebrates Western Sydney's diverse food scene — from Arabic grocery stores to market gardens to Fijian chefs.

Middle and bottom images: Josh Robenstone