Food City is proud to welcome Certified Master Cheese Maker, Kerry Henning of Monroe Wisconsin for a special Meet the Cheesemaker event. A meet and greet with Henning will be on Friday, December 11th from 4 until 6 p.m. in the Cheese Shop of our new North State of Franklin Rd location in Johnson City, Tn. Henning will be sharing educational information and product samples. Saturday, December 12th from 10 until 11 a.m. Henning will be participating in a special cooking demonstration upstairs in the Depot at Franklin Commons. 

Both events are free to the public. Seating is limited and pre-registration is recommended. Contact Anna Stanley by phone 423-217-8375 or email for pre-registration.

The Depot at Franklin Commons is located at our new Johnson City Food City, TN location at 920 North State of Franklin Rd.

About Kerry Henning:

Kerry Henning carries on the family cheesemaking tradition, established in 1914, using longstanding techniques practiced by his father and grandfather.  Henning's Cheese, the four-generation family business, is known for their its Cheddar and Colby cheese, including Kerry's award-winning peppercorn cheddar. It is also the only maker of "Mammoth Cheddars" in the United States. These wheels of cheese can range in size from 75 to 12,000 pounds.

Kerry achieved "Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker" status in 1999 after he successfully completed the "Master Cheese" apprenticeship program. Entry into the program requires being a licensed cheesemaker for at least 10 years. For 5 of the 10 years, he was required to manufacture the cheese he wanted to master in. In addition, Kerry appeared before a board of review who evaluated his qualifications prior to entry into the Master Cheese program.

Once accepted, Kerry attended a variety of courses in cheese artisanship, quality assurance and product evaluation. At the completion of his three years of training, Kerry had to submit cheese he made, to an independent panel who judged whether the quality of the cheese met the expectations of the Master Cheese program. In addition, Kerry needed to complete a 40-hour written exam to evaluate his knowledge of cheese making as well as the Master Cheese program. His cheese continues to be tested on a yearly basis to ensure he is achieving the highest quality set forth by the Master Cheese program. Kerry has earned his Master's degree in Cheddar, Colby and Monterey Jack.

Since receiving his Master's Cheese degree, Kerry has entered cheese into United States and World Cheese contests and has won numerous awards over the years.  He has used his knowledge from the Master's program to create new and exciting flavors. "Cheesemaking is hard work, but the praise that we receive from our customers makes it all worth it," Kerry says.