Joe Salonia began his career in food at the age of 13 in a northern NJ Italian restaurant and later studied to become a classically trained chef after having graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. Joe spent the next few years at the helm of several kitchens in New York and in New Jersey , when in 2001, he was named New Jersey Rising Star Chef by the New York Times, as well as receiving an Excellent rating. In 2003, he switched careers and officially became part of the cheese world by working for two cheese centric specialty food distributors that sold to the best cheese shops in the USA. In 2013, Joe joined the Gourmino team, where he leads USA sales and marketing. Joe is known for launching and championing the Save The Emmentaler® campaign which continues to educate, celebrate, and bring awareness to this historical cheese. Joe also loves being in front of the microphone where he is often heard singing '˜cheese curd1 versions of popular and classic songs.