Emilia D’Albero always knew she’d end up working in the culinary industry. While focusing on Italian Studies in college, she was introduced to various projects that led her into the world of Italian and Italian American food. Immediately upon graduation, she interned at the Eataly cooking school in New York City, where she curated the curriculum, designing pairings, tastings, and a variety of classes, including hands-on mozzarella-making workshops.
D’Albero obtained her professional cheese certification and fell in love with the cheese industry and community. She loves getting her hands dirty behind the counter, educating and interacting with customers and still enjoys guest-mongering and participating in events and fundraisers. Recently, she became the first American to ever win the prestigious Mondial du Fromage, a competition that takes place every two years in France.
Bringing her Italian roots to competition day in France
In addition to creating cheese sculptures and even needing to consult the color wheel for certain stages of the competition, D’Albero was tasked with a cheese transformation. The challenge was to transform the selected cheese, Blue Stilton, and serve it in a cold dish you might find on a restaurant menu.
D’Albero created “Tirami-Blu,” where she infused heavy cream overnight with the Stilton, mixed it with mascarpone, and whipped it into blue cheese whipped cream that she then layered with corn flour oatcakes, chestnut purée, fig jam, and topped it with a stencil of the Stilton logo that was made out of blue spirulina powder mixed with crushed pistachio flour to mimic the blue-green veining of the cheese. She served the dish in her great grandmother’s espresso cups. “The throughline for all my presentations is really my Italian American identity and my lived experience as an Italian American who has a degree in Italian. There was a lot of Italian influence in everything I did that felt very authentic,” D’Albero said.
Cheesemonger on speed dial
Your local cheesemonger can tell you that Colston Bassett Blue Stilton has flavors of scalded milk, roasted nuts and chocolate, and that the 24-month-aged Parmesan Reggiano pairs perfectly with a Lambrusco. They can also tell you the percentage of humidity the cheese was kept at, the sleeping patterns of the dairy cows, the climate and terrain the cheese originated, and all the different pairs of hands that touched it along the way. Cheesemongers are more than a person behind the cheese counter; they are educators, storytellers, and historians who allow you a deeper understanding of the animals and people that make tasting each bite possible.
A stroll down the South Philly Italian market
On her days off, whether lining up at a favorite brunch spot or looking for a sweet treat, Emilia is always trying to find something good to eat. “I like to walk up and down the Italian Market, stopping by Gleaner’s Café first for coffee, I’m always hitting DiBruno, produce vendors, Melmo’s for dog treats, Binding Agents, and if they are still open, Paffuto. I love their panzerotti and brioche with whipped cream.
From Philly to Piemonte
In June 2026 and partnering with Vita Casalinga, D’Albero will be leading a tour of Italian cuisine in the Piemonte region of Italy. She helped build the itinerary of a cohesive list of activities and tastings, including a visit to Parmigiano caves where they’ve been aging the cheese for 170 years, Vermouth tastings, and eating at the restaurant that birthed the slow food movement. “This is a tour of Italian cuisine through the eyes of a food and cheese professional, and one I would sign up for myself, so I’m happy to be leading it.”
To learn more about the tour, click here. You can follow Emilia on Instagram at @emdalbero to catch one of her events.
