Max Lazary, winner of the 2025 Cheesemonger Invitational, rings the bell at the Alkmaar Cheese Market.
On Friday, July 17, Max Lazary—named Best Cheesemonger at the 2025 Cheesemonger Invitational—will ring the bell at the Alkmaar Cheese Market at the invitation of CONO Kaasmakers.
Max Lazary is the one who rings the bell at the Alkmaar cheese market. The American cheese specialist won the prestigious Cheesemonger Invitational in New York: an international professional competition in which the best cheese connoisseurs compete in categories such as flavor recognition, product knowledge, presentation, and cutting technique. Within the cheese world, this competition is regarded as one of the highest honors for cheesemongers.
According to Max, good cheese is about more than just taste: craftsmanship, tradition, and origin are just as important. It is precisely these values that make the connection with Beemster so natural. The fact that an award-winning cheesemonger like Max Lazary is traveling to Alkmaar to ring the bell shows just how beloved and respected Dutch cheese is around the world.
CONO Kaasmakers always has a prominent presence at the Alkmaar Cheese Market, where Beemster® cheese is prominently featured on the Waagplein. This is done in collaboration with cheese producer FrieslandCampina/Lutjewinkel. Together, they organize the display and sponsorship of the cheeses, giving visitors to the cheese market the opportunity to admire and purchase the cheeses and learn about the product’s origins. This helps preserve the centuries-old tradition of the cheese market.
About the Alkmaar Cheese Market
The Alkmaar Cheese Market is the oldest and largest traditional cheese market in the Netherlands. Every year, this centuries-old spectacle attracts more than 200,000 visitors from the Netherlands and abroad to Waagplein, where cheese has been traded in the traditional manner since 1593.
Today, the Cheese Market has become an icon of Alkmaar and a major tourist attraction in North Holland. The two Michelin stars for tourism underscore the special value of this tradition.
The Cheese Market takes place every Friday morning from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., from late March through late September. In July and August, there are also evening cheese markets on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
