Meet the Team
Adam Moskowitz
Adam’s first memory of eating cheese was folding kraft singles into tiny tiny squares and eating it piece by piece. His earliest memory of eating good cheese was smelling Gruyere and being like, “yuck, it smells like feet.” Then his Dad put some melted Gruyere on a bagel and Adam was hooked instantly.
His first memory working with cheese was trying to help the warehousemen in Larkin Cold Storage palletize floor loads of parmigiana reggiano and provolone and almost getting crushed by the weight of the cheese. (he was 7 at the time) His first real foray into the business world of cheese was after he graduated from GWU in 1996. His Dad gave him a job at Larkin Cold Storage and he showed up to work in a suit and tie. His father laughed at him, told him “go home and change into jeans” and get to work in the warehouse. Adam lasted 9 months, high tailed it to the corporate world and spent the next decade tussling and toiling on the Internet. For example, he worked at Yahoo when people still thought it was a chocolate drink. At the age of 30, Adam decided to leave the internet business to become a rapper and spent two years writing and performing music while training to be an actor.
Alas, at the age of 32 he realized he was not going to be the next Eminem and was feeling quite lost and deflated. He even contemplated going into his fathers business but that was in the process of being sold so that wasn’t an option. On a lark, he started working as cheesemonger in the Essex Food Market to honor his family and learn more about cheese. Six months into that gig the deal his father was trying to close fell through and his Dad asked him if he wanted to buy Larkin. In 2008 we launched EuroLarkin. In 2009 we launched Columbia Cheese Inc. In 2010 Adam started the Cheesemonger Invitational.
Today Adam owns and operates Larkin Realty, Larkin Cold Storage, Cheesemonger Invitational and Columbia Cheese. Said simply, Adam truly loves cheese and lives Maker to Monger.
Jonathan Richardson
Jonathan is the National Sales Manager for Maker to Monger. He has spent over 20 years in the business of artisan cheese as a cheesemonger and salesperson.
Jonathan lives with his two sons in Oak Park, Illinois.
Didi Pellicore
Didi is a Certified Cheese Professional with more than a decade of experience in the specialty food world.
Her work as a cook and sous chef saw her in restaurants spanning the east coast, including Relais and Chateaux and Eater National-recognized properties. In 2016, she took a deep dive into the world of specialty cheese, beginning her monger journey at DiBruno Brothers in Philadelphia's historic Italian Market. Working her way up the East Coast, she earned title of Certified Cheese Professional from the American Cheese Society in 2021.
Gruyere Alpage Chenau remains the only cheese to ever make her shed a tear of joy.
Alex Armstrong
Alex Armstrong is a Certified Cheese Professional (CCPTM) and Certified Cheese Sensory Evaluator (CCSETM). He has been in the cheese industry for over 12 years beginning as an apprentice cheesemaker before moving into a role as Cheesemonger, Educator and Event Coordinator in Chicago and San Francisco.
Alex furthered his career with Jasper Hill Farm where he learned the ins and outs of farmstead cheese as an assistant account manager, Alpine Cheese Specialist, Sensory Evaluation Manager and Research and Development Specialist. In 2023, Alex was the recipient of the Daphne Zepos Teaching Award (DZTA), where he traveled to Europe in order to research Sensory Evaluation in the cheese industry and presented his work at the American Cheese Society Conference. Beginning in the summer of 2024, Alex moved on to a role with Columbia Cheese, and works to support sales and the producer partners in Europe, evaluate and maintain cheese quality through the import process, develop social media content, and create and execute educational opportunities for cheese professionals across the country.
Melissa Finch
Melissa's love of specialty food started 14 years ago at a coffee tasting comparing Robusta beans and Arabica beans. Since that fateful day in Dallas, Texas, Melissa began her pursuit of the best products the food world has to offer. Her passion for all things artisanal landed her at Whole Foods Market in Midtown Manhattan. Working in the Specialty Department at Whole Foods, Melissa discovered the array of local and artisanal producers of chocolate, coffee, beer, and cheese. After five years of working in several New York Whole Foods locations, Melissa moved up to the position of Team Leader of the Specialty Department at the Tribeca location, and with her new artisan expertise, she was ready to take her career to the next level. In 2018, she joined the team at Columbia Cheese, where her main roles include inventory and order management. When she is not at Larkin Cold Storage she is frequenting coffee shops and looking for the best croissant.
Ziggy (Sigfried) von Frankenberg-Leu
Born and raised in Wisconsin, dairy has always been in Ziggy's blood. After happening upon what would turn out to be his dream job, Ziggy chose cheese and hasn't looked back since. Now fifteen years later his passion for cheese parallels his drive to experience new people and cultures while discovering the common denominator that brings them together, great food
Ziggy’s passion for the industry started with an opportunity to start a cheese department by just...trying out fun cheeses. This turned into running his own department in a grocery chain, then manager at Cowgirl Creamery. From retail Ziggy moved to boutique distribution, to national distribution, and now is honored to represent some of the best artisan cheeses in the world. Ziggy has visited and made cheese with artisans in more than ten countries around the world and works directly with the producers themselves.