Susan Sturman
attended Boston University's prestigious School of Public Communications (now College of Communications), graduating with a degree in Public
Relations with a minor in Organizational Communications. She started her career in Corporate Public Relations for Mobil Oil Corporation, worked
subsequently at Doyle Dane Bernbach (advertising) and The Bank of New York (employee relations), then at Harrison Conference Centers (sales and
meeting planning).
Between professional and volunteer activites, Susan has been in the hospitality and special events field since 1981. A caterer for years in Boston,
she has experience in virtually every aspect of party planning and execution.
In 1992, she moved to Paris, France, to study classical French cuisine and pastry at the
Ritz-Escoffier Ecole de Gastronomie Française,
the prestigious cooking school at the famed Paris Ritz. She subsequently served as Assistant Director of the school for two and a half years.
While at the Ritz, Susan developed a love for French cheeses. She taught the cheese classes (in french and in english) at the Ritz for over two years.
After leaving the Ritz, she founded epicurean catering, offering gourmet food prepared onsite for private and corporate clients in and around Paris.
Repatriating to New York after six years in Paris, in 1992 she began offering custom designed, hands on cooking classes in clients' homes.
In New York, her classes have been offered at
Murray’'s Cheese and Sur la Table, as well as for corporate and private clients.
She served as Marketing and Development consultant for the New York State Farmstead & Artisanal Cheese Makers' Guild, and is a a member of the
American Cheese Society
and Slow Food USA.
Susan serves as Chair of the American Cheese Society's Cheese Professional Certification Program, responsible
for the development of a national certification exam, a Body of Knowledge document, a searchable database of cheese education,
and a study guide bibliography. In addition, she has organized a number of panels and is a regular presenter at ACS national conferences.
In 2011, Susan was inducted into the prestigious
Guilde Internationale des Fromagers
with the rank of Garde et Jure, sponsored by North American chapter chair David Gremmels, of Rogue Creamery, and former ACS President.
Susan's first article appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of Cheese Connoisseur
magazine, a national publication dedicated to cheese and those who love it.
Susan receiving an honorary Cordon Bleu certificate in Paris in 1995 from Andre Cointreau,
owner of Le Cordon Bleu, with Julia Child.
Max McCalman, Dean of Curriculum, Artisanal Premium Cheese
"I have had the great pleasure of working with Susan Sturman on the Fromager Certification Project for
a number of years. What has impressed me most about her efforts with our committee has been her determination
to see that the project be handled professionally, all the while maintaining a respectful and welcoming management
style. Susan has kept the process moving along, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles
and roadblocks. She has kept a positive attitude throughout, keeping the committee's focus on the goals
of its mission statement. This project will be rewarded ultimately with her own standards of quality and
her leadership. And above all of this, Susan is a joy to be around."
