Laura Werlin

The Climb

Training at the University of California, Berkeley gave Laura Werlin an academic base before she entered local television news, where she worked as a television news professional for 15 years. That newsroom experience shaped the way she communicates: direct, compressed, and built for an audience that needs the point quickly. Since 1998, she has been a food writer, and that role sits alongside work as an author, cheese educator, sought-after speaker, on-air artisan cheese and wine expert, and writer for Freelance. Taken together, those roles read as accumulation rather than departure, with cheese remaining the central subject across each platform.

Today

Today, Laura Werlin’s work spans authorship, education, speaking, and broadcast commentary, all anchored in cheese. She is the author of six books on cheese, a food writer, a cheese educator, a sought-after speaker, an on-air artisan cheese and wine expert, and a cheese and wine pairing speaker. The range matters less than the continuity: each format asks for a different register, but the same underlying command of subject and audience. On the page, in public, or on air, she treats cheese as a subject that rewards precision without requiring ceremony. Pairing guidance is one of the places where that approach is most visible. Readers and audiences turn to Laura Werlin when the question shifts from identifying a cheese to understanding what belongs beside it. She has described herself this way: “As the “cheezelady” (read: someone who speaks and writes on the subject), I must confess I kind of panic whenever someone asks me my favorite cheese.” The line carries humor, but also a useful trade attitude: knowledge without stiffness, expertise without pose. That balance keeps the work accessible while still speaking clearly to people who know the category well.

Signature

Laura's signature dishes include The All American Cheese and Wine Book, Cheese Essentials, The New American Cheese, Grilled Cheese, Please!, and Mac & Cheese.

In Their Words “As the “cheezelady” (read: someone who speaks and writes on the subject), I must confess I kind of panic whenever someone asks me my favorite cheese.” “It wasn’t until I became a food writer — a career I pursued after leaving a 15-year career in television news — that I decided I wanted to explore the world of cheese, American style.”

Recognition

Laura's honors include James Beard Award.