With ‘Illuminate After Dark’, Valérie Henbest offers much more than just a tasting. She has created an immersive experience where cheese, champagne, oysters, caviar and music come together to create a moment that is at once refined, sensory and deeply memorable.
As the founder of Smelly Cheese, Valérie Henbest has built her career on a simple yet essential idea: great products always tell a story. Born in Normandy and having lived in Australia for many years, she has transformed her passion for cheese into a true philosophy of taste, based on time, terroir, craftsmanship and the pleasure of taking things slowly. With this event, presented as part of Illuminate Adelaide, she invites the public to experience tasting differently. More than just a pairing of flavours, it is a celebration of curiosity, beauty and the senses, designed to leave a lasting impression long after the last bite and the final note of music. Read our interview with Valérie Henbest below.
Valérie, you were born and raised in Normandy, the home of Camembert, and you’ve now spent half your life in Australia. How did you first discover cheese? And what led you from being a cheese lover in France to setting up Smelly Cheese here in Australia?
It’s quite a long story, really, but basically when I arrived, I fell head over heels in love with an Australian man and with Australia itself. It was such a dream come true for me. Everything was wonderful. I was living in Paris at the time and it was tough. So when I arrived in Adelaide, it was a massive culture shock, but at the same time a positive one. And the one thing I obviously started to miss quite quickly was cheese, because 30 years ago there weren’t as many Australian cheeses as there are today.
So I told myself that if I wanted to live here happily for a long time, I needed to find a solution and find the cheese that would make me happy. That, and bread for that matter, because it was the same with bread. I went to my first Australian barbecue; I thought I was going to die from that square white bread that tastes of nothing at all. So there you have it, I set myself a mission – the mission to bring cheeses to Australia that have a history, traditions, cultures and a role to play here. It seemed to me, at any rate, that Australians had that sense of curiosity.
I told myself that if I wanted to live here happily for a long time, I needed to find a solution and find the cheese that would make me happy.
It was a bit like being in the right place at the right time. So I went back to Normandy. I started with Camembert, of course, because before that, Camembert used to come by ship and it was never quite how I like it – it was always over-ripened. So I started with Camembert that I had flown in. I had soft cheeses flown in. That made a huge difference because there’s a massive difference in quality between a Camembert that spends 60 or 70 days at sea on a ship and one that arrives in 48 hours.
And one thing led to another. In fact, I found myself exploring France – a country I didn’t actually know that well after all – through its cheese production. And it was obvious that I also had to visit Italy, Spain and Switzerland, and I really did explore cheese culture bit by bit across the whole of Europe.
And quite quickly, actually, I also went to the United States because there’s some excellent artisanal cheese production there too, and because, after all, we know very little about American cheese. But there’s also a difference between the orange cheese you find in burgers and good artisanal cheeses, which are made in much the same way as they are in Australia today. In fact, the industry is growing at roughly the same pace – they have more financial resources in the US, but there’s a very, very interesting artisanal cheese production there.
So there you have it, that’s the story in a nutshell. But before I arrived in Australia, I wasn’t involved in the cheese industry at all.
What were you doing in France before you came to Australia?
In France, I was in the world of cinema and public relations. I worked at all the film festivals: Deauville, Avoriaz, Cannes, Cognac. There are film festivals all year round. I was promoting these festivals and these films. So, I was very much involved in communications.
I think what makes Smelly so successful is largely the fact that we’re more than just cheese sellers. We’re also storytellers and ambassadors of culture. Cheese comes with a sense of place, a culture and traditions. And that’s exactly what I want us to focus on offering to the customers who come to see us. And I think people respond very well to that sort of thing. Everyone loves a good story.
I think what makes Smelly so successful is largely the fact that we’re more than just cheese sellers. We’re also storytellers and ambassadors of culture..
What inspired you to unite cheese, champagne, oysters ad caviar in a single masterclass for Illuminate Adelaide?
For me, that was a real discovery, like so many things. So after the cheese, I naturally focused on the wine that would go with it. And in that respect, Australia was actually much further ahead with wine than we were with cheese. So there were already some very, very good wines. And so I got more involved in the world of wine. But, of course, champagne is my little guilty pleasure. And for me, there’s nothing better than a cheese and champagne pairing. So, it was obvious that I needed to get closer to the champagne producers.
But recently, someone came to visit me in Adelaide. That person was Guy de Saint Laurent, who is the managing director of Les Caviar Sturia – one of the three caviar producers in France, but the most renowned, with a truly excellent production philosophy. He turned up with these tins of caviar and asked me, ‘Would you be interested in selling caviar?’ And to be perfectly honest, I thought to myself: caviar and cheese? I’m not so sure about that. But then he said, ‘Can I show you something?’ To cut a long story short, he asked me for some burrata – a small Italian cheese made with mozzarella, with cream inside. He cut it in half, drizzled a little olive oil over it, placed a small dessert spoonful of caviar on top, and offered it to me. He said, ‘Go on, put that in your mouth.’
And I was completely blown away. It was a real revelation for me – a marvellous combination with the creamy, slightly sweet cheese and its tender texture. It’s a cow’s milk cheese – a cow’s milk mozzarella burrata. So there was a hint of that creaminess, that sweetness of the milk, combined with the minerality. If you’ve never put caviar in your mouth, it’s hard to understand, but it’s an explosion of minerality and freshness. It was mind-blowing; it really was a wonderful experience. I wasn’t expecting it at all; it really took me by surprise. I thought to myself, ‘Yes, obviously, it works!’ He did the same thing with a triple-cream cheese. And actually, when you think about it, the minerality of caviar is the same minerality you find in champagne.
actually, when you think about it, the minerality of caviar is the same minerality you find in champagne.
And in wine.
And in wine. And actually, when you think about a pairing, you need these elements, and you find them in living ingredients like caviar, champagne, cheese – all of that. All these elements speak to one another and they pair wonderfully. And I thought to myself, yes, it’s obvious. And anyway, I think that with Smelly, we take a bit of an approach where we say, ‘OK, we’ve got traditional products, luxury products – because caviar is, of course, relatively expensive – but I work on the principle that when a product is good, you don’t need a huge amount of it to feel satisfied. So it’s about buying less but better. And when you understand what’s going to give you pleasure – and this pairing of cheese, caviar and champagne – well, it blew my mind, so I’ve made it part of my programme.
when you think about a pairing, you need these elements, and you find them in living ingredients like caviar, champagne, cheese – all of that. All these elements speak to one another and they pair wonderfully. .
For the first class I ran – with Guy de Saint Laurent – I thought to myself, ‘I’ll organise this and sell it as a 12-place course’, just to see how it went. Well, 25 people signed up. And when Guy asked me, ‘What do you reckon the age range and socio-economic background will be?’, I said I had no idea. Well, it turned out to be people aged between 35 and 45 who came along, and they loved it. It’s as if this younger generation is much more interested in the products they eat, where they come from, and so on.
caviar is, of course, relatively expensive – but I work on the principle that when a product is good, you don’t need a huge amount of it to feel satisfied. So it’s about buying less but better.
Since then, this year for the first time, I’ve been offering the champagne, caviar and cheese programme at the Good Food and Wine Show, which takes place all over Australia. These classes cost more; that’s to be expected, as the products are expensive. I run classes of 50 people; the classes are full, and in my classes I’m still looking for baby-boomers because it’s mainly the younger generation who are interested in these pairings. And I find that astonishing, but I think it’s brilliant too.
That’s interesting. And for Illuminate Adelaide, you’re going to add oysters to these three things.
So for Illuminate, we’ve really decided to create something that’s fundamentally tactile and sensory. I want to engage all the senses of the people coming to this class. So we’re adding a small oyster, which goes very well with champagne. We’ll be serving Charles Heidsieck champagne – a Champagne house I recently visited on a trip there, which produces champagne of exceptional quality. I visited the cellars near Reims and 30 kilometres of Champagne cellars.
It’s very good.
It’s extraordinary. So they’ll be welcomed with champagne and an oyster, caviar, but also with a Baroque trio, because I think music is incredibly important in order to fully engage all the senses – touch and music. I also attended the Conservatoire in France, so music plays a very important role for me and it really rounds off the experience. Especially as, for Illuminate, you should know that the market will be plunged into semi-darkness, so there’ll be very little light and we’ll really be drawing more on senses other than sight. And so the music will also act as a guide, to some extent, during the tasting, as it will feature themes that celebrate light – the sun, the moon and so on – which will be very interesting.
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they’ll be welcomed with champagne and an oyster, caviar, but also with a Baroque trio, because I think music is incredibly important in order to fully engage all the senses – touch and music
It reminds me of the interview we did 7 years ago, when you had organised a sensory experience at the French Festival which also took place in the dark.
Yes.
I organised one with the Zephyr Trio. I’d chosen music to pair with wine, and in the main auditorium, I’d also arranged for five cheeses to be paired with five opera arias. There were opera singers.
I’m a big believer in that. First of all, you create memories, and that’s incredibly important. When you drink something exceptional, when you eat something exceptional, it makes an impact – you’ll remember it. It’s a great memory. If you add music to it, if you add the people you’re spending the evening with, it’s something you’ll remember for the rest of your life. It leaves a lasting impression, and that’s the idea. Life’s too short to eat things that don’t make an impact, that leave you with no memories at all. So we’re looking for an experience that will leave a lasting impression, one that will mean that in 10 years’ time, people will remember coming to this Illuminate event and tasting an exceptional champagne accompanied by exceptional music and caviar. It really is a unique experience that will have engaged all your senses and will therefore be indelibly etched in your memory for the rest of your life.
Life’s too short to eat things that don’t make an impact, that leave you with no memories at all. So we’re looking for an experience that will leave a lasting impression, one that will mean that in 10 years’ time, people will remember coming to this Illuminate event and tasting an exceptional champagne accompanied by exceptional music and caviar.
So this isn’t a standard tasting at all. It really is an event.
It’s absolutely an event.
And what would you like people to understand about the history and heritage behind Sturia caviar, champagne and fine cheeses?
I’d like people to slow down a little, take the time to taste, to understand why what they have in their mouths has that particular flavour, to realise that this champagne was blended 4, 5 or 6 years ago, depending on the case, that it has spent time in these Gallo-Roman cellars, and has been turned with care and love. All that craftsmanship that’s gone into this product. Nobody just snapped their fingers, nobody pressed a button and the product appeared on the other side. Everyone has spent an incredible amount of time creating this champagne.
I’d like people to slow down a little, take the time to taste, to understand why what they have in their mouths has that particular flavour
As for caviar, the people at Sturia carry out ultrasound scans on the fish and measure the caviar eggs. The caviar egg must be 2.5 mm. If it isn’t, the fish is put back in the water so that the egg can grow. It is then seasoned in a very traditional way, as was done throughout Russia in particular and in those countries where caviar was very, very traditional. It’s a huge amount of work. Sturgeon are fish that take six or seven years to reach the stage where they can produce roe.
Time is part of the product, and I think it’s a mistake to eat something in 30 seconds, without even thinking about the time that has gone into the art of caviar, the art of champagne, and the art of cheese – which, too, takes time. Someone has milked the cow, someone has processed the milk, someone has placed that cheese in a cellar, nurturing it with their love and care.
Time is part of the product, and I think it’s a mistake to eat something in 30 seconds, without even thinking about the time that has gone into the art of caviar, the art of champagne, and the art of cheese – which, too, takes time.
I think that when we pay a little more attention, we get more pleasure out of it. So for me, this event serves as a reminder to people that we need to slow down just a tiny bit and pay a little more attention to what’s going on around us and to what we put in our mouths.
I think that when we pay a little more attention, we get more pleasure out of it. So for me, this event serves as a reminder to people that we need to slow down just a tiny bit and pay a little more attention to what’s going on around us and to what we put in our mouths.
Yes, that’s true, because we’re always in a rush as well.
Yes, that’s right. And the more time goes by, the faster it goes. We’re living in an age where we need reminders to say ‘no, stop, slow down’ and ‘breathe, take your time, breathe.’ In fact, it’s really important because our noses – we never actually breathe through them. Stop! Breathe. What does it smell like? What do you see? I mean, there really are the senses. We need to remind ourselves that they’re there for a reason.
Touch, breathe, sit down, take your time and think about those people who’ve spent so much time preparing this wine, this champagne, this cheese, this caviar. And in doing so, it’s a bit like honouring tradition just a little, honouring cultures, honouring people’s work and honouring yourself, because it means choosing to put products that are worth eating and savouring into your mouth.
Touch, breathe, sit down, take your time and think about those people who’ve spent so much time preparing this wine, this champagne, this cheese, this caviar. And in doing so, it’s a bit like honouring tradition just a little, honouring cultures, honouring people’s work and honouring yourself, because it means choosing to put products that are worth eating and savouring into your mouth.
And how do you guide course participants who know a lot about cheese, but are less familiar with caviar or pairing it with champagne?
We talk about all of that, actually. So we shed a little light on the art of making caviar, and a bit about its history: how it came to France, what the Russians did with sturgeon, and where this fish – which is as old as the dinosaurs – comes from. It’s the oldest fish in the world.
I think that when you plant images like that in people’s minds, it starts to take shape. The product becomes less foreign. You build bridges between the product and the person who’s going to taste it by telling the producer’s story, by telling the story of the animal, by explaining how sturgeon are harvested, and by explaining why, all of a sudden, in Russia, they’ve stopped producing it because they mistreated the sturgeon and, at a certain point, we also have to be mindful of the fish’s reproduction if we don’t want it to disappear completely. Ultimately, it’s about shedding a little light and raising awareness in people’s minds so that they eat a bit more mindfully, taking more time and paying a bit more attention.
I think that when you plant images like that in people’s minds, it starts to take shape. The product becomes less foreign. You build bridges between the product and the person who’s going to taste it
Caviar and oysters are often seen as symbols of a bit of indulgence. What role does indulgence play in this event? And how do you balance decadence with education?
Well, I think it helps me present an expensive product that has often been categorised as a luxury item. But today, the concept of luxury is changing. It’s very, very clear to me that, rather than spending $10,000 on a Louis Vuitton bag, people are now seeking experiences instead. So, of course, caviar is expensive, but a small portion – what we call a ‘bump’, a teaspoonful of caviar – is six grams, so it’s not a huge amount. Of course it’s expensive, but you don’t need much to give you an experience, to give you an idea, a taste to connect with this product – which is a luxury product but one that’s accessible because you don’t need to eat it by the ladleful.
Of course it’s expensive, but you don’t need much to give you an experience, to give you an idea, a taste to connect with this product – which is a luxury product but one that’s accessible because you don’t need to eat it by the ladleful..
If you take the time to taste it carefully, you eat more slowly and with greater attention, and as a result you eat less. So my idea is also, I think, to a certain extent, to tell people that if you eat more consciously, you’ll eat less because you’ll pay more attention to what you’re eating, and you’ll get more pleasure from it. So it becomes something of a philosophy that means you eat better, drink better, drink less and, as a result, feel better.
So my idea is also, I think, to a certain extent, to tell people that if you eat more consciously, you’ll eat less because you’ll pay more attention to what you’re eating, and you’ll get more pleasure from it. So it becomes something of a philosophy that means you eat better, drink better, drink less and, as a result, feel better.
So for me, it’s not really about products you’re going to eat every day; they’re little treats you can treat yourself to. You don’t need to buy a kilo of caviar; you can buy 30 grams of caviar – and not every day if your budget doesn’t allow it, of course. But with 30 grams of caviar, you can treat yourself by knowing how to eat it, which champagne or which cheese to pair it with, and discover affordable pleasures.
But with 30 grams of caviar, you can treat yourself by knowing how to eat it, which champagne or which cheese to pair it with, and discover affordable pleasures.
And you also know that not eating it every day gives it that extra special touch, making you cherish the feeling that you’re lucky enough to be able to do this – something you can’t do every day. My name isn’t Rothschild, but I can treat myself to a little pleasure. And today, when you look at the world and have reasons to think, ‘Oh my goodness, what on earth is going on?’, even in this mad world, you can create little islands of pleasure for yourself. And I’ve found a way to enjoy this pleasure that’s affordable, yet at the same time, you get that feeling of doing something incredible.
You don’t need a huge amount, so you can treat yourself to this little bit of luxury, even though the cost of living is so high. You buy less, but you buy quality. Quality that’s going to do you good. Caviar, for example – it’s also that accompaniment, that way of eating it with fish, for instance. I tasted this caviar on a monkfish cheek – you see, that’s extraordinary. Or on tuna. Even in Paris, I had a scoop of vanilla ice cream with caviar on top. It was phenomenal; it’s incredible. So you can see just how much of a ‘wow’ factor you can create. You see, I think, once again, it’s all about experiences – the memories you create, the ones you talk about because you remember them.
You buy less, but you buy quality. Quality that’s going to do you good
You’ve already mentioned a bit about the Baroque music that’ll be playing there? What makes a tasting experience truly memorable for you? The flavour, the story, the atmosphere, or something else?
It’s all of those things combined. I think it’s really important to surround yourself with beauty – visual beauty, beauty for the ears, beauty for the nose, beauty for the mouth, beauty for the heart. If you’re happy to be there with the person you love. It’s important to be there together, as a family or with friends or people you love. So all of that creates a complete experience that touches on all the essential elements of happiness. I think it’s important not to overlook any of the senses in all of this.
I think it’s really important to surround yourself with beauty – visual beauty, beauty for the ears, beauty for the nose, beauty for the mouth, beauty for the heart
And beauty is important. So it’s about making a bit of an effort to create a beautiful environment where you want to be – that’s really important. I put on classical music because it helps me a lot. It’s a sense that helps me feel better and relax. Nice scents – I’ve got a little diffuser here, and I put a bit of essential oil in it. So I pay a little bit of attention to all that because I know it helps with my day-to-day tasks and makes everyday chores more interesting and easier.
Is this the first time you’ve organised an event as part of the Illuminate Adelaide programme?
Yes. I’m really excited because I think it’s a wonderful programme that really helps you expand your horizons. It’s an event, an immersive experience. That’s what I love – giving people the chance to be completely immersed in a different world. We’re creating something unique, and I think Illuminate is the perfect platform for it. It’s truly extraordinary that people have the chance to experience things that are a bit different. You’ve got to break out of the routine, you’ve got to break out of the everyday, you’ve got to try new things. I think you can make life interesting, and this is one of those experiences that will make your life truly ‘wow’. It’s great.
And what do you hope the guests will take away from this evening?
Personally, I’d like them to leave with that aura, that ‘Wow!’ feeling. I’ve been to a few concerts in my life, or events, that have stayed with me for so long because it’s almost spiritual. It goes beyond anything you can even put into words. It’s sensory, it’s profound. So I hope, first of all, that people will remember it and want to recreate something like that.
It’s also about giving people the chance to open doors they’d never have opened on their own. So, once you open a door, behind that door there’s a whole world. At first you didn’t even know that world existed. And once you’ve opened that door, you want people to go and discover what lies beyond it, because when you open a door, you usually find that behind it there are another ten doors to open – and that’s brilliant. It’s about giving people the chance, first of all, to realise they still have loads to discover, and that life is, in fact, one discovery after another, one discovery after another. So it’s about opening doors for people, so that they’ll want to open others themselves.
It’s also about giving people the chance to open doors they’d never have opened on their own. So, once you open a door, behind that door there’s a whole world. At first you didn’t even know that world existed.
What if you think you don’t like caviar?
I think it’s really important not to dwell on something you didn’t like, especially if it was a few years ago. Tastes change. It can also be an acquired taste. I always say, ‘You’re not born loving beer straight away.’ There you go, you’ve developed your palate a bit, so your palate changes.
Recently, I ran a cheese and wine tasting session with Altina – some superb wines from the Barossa Valley. And there was this lady of a certain age who, with tears in her eyes, said to me, Valérie, ‘I thought I didn’t like goat’s cheese at all. I loved it.’ And for me, those are the moments that really matter.
I have so many people like that who tell me, ‘No, no, no, I don’t like it at all; I’ll never be won over.’ So I really enjoy going up to them, holding their hand, and giving them a little bit of honey, a little bit of cheese. And I say, ‘Here you go, go on, have a try now and tell me if you don’t like it.’ It’s part of my mission: not to take ‘no’ for an answer. And maybe you didn’t like it that day, but perhaps it was because you were in a bad mood, you weren’t feeling well or whatever.
Or maybe the product wasn’t as good.
Or because, to begin with, it was the wrong one. The caviar, actually. So there you go, you’ve got to try it again. And above all, with the champagne we’re going to offer you there – it’s an absolutely amazing champagne. So yes, it’s going to be brilliant, brilliant!
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We thank Valérie Henbest for this interview.
KEY INFO FOR ILLUMINATE AFTER DARK
WHAT: Illuminate After Dark, part of Illuminate Adelaide
WHEN: tomorrow, Tuesday 7 July from 7-9pm
WHERE: Adelaide Central Market, ADELAIDE
HOW: buy your tickets here
HOW MUCH: Tickets cost $189 $ plus $3.80 transaction fee
