Noella Marcellino facts for kids

Mother Noella Marcellino (born Martha A. Marcellino on June 30, 1951) is an American nun. She is a member of the Order of St. Benedict. Mother Noella is also a scientist with a special degree called a doctorate in microbiology. This means she studies very tiny living things like bacteria and fungi.

She studied fungi in France with a special award called a Fulbright Scholarship. Her research focused on how tiny living things help cheese get its unique smells and tastes. She looked at the good effects of natural changes in food, like how cheese ripens.

Her Journey to Science

Mother Noella first attended Sarah Lawrence College but later left. In 1986, the Archbishop of Hartford gave permission for nuns from her community to go to college. Mother Noella and three other nuns applied to the University of Connecticut. They were accepted into courses for Agricultural Science.

In 1987, the group began their studies. All of them eventually earned doctoral degrees. Mother Noella's degree was in molecular and cell biology, focusing on microbiology. She started with basic science classes at the University of Connecticut's campus in Waterbury.

Focusing on Cheese Science

An interesting event helped Mother Noella choose her research topic. A professor from the University of Connecticut, Nina Stein, visited the abbey's cheese cellar. She suggested that Mother Noella study the tiny living things that help cheese ripen. This idea became the main focus of her research.

Mother Noella won a Fulbright scholarship to go to France. There, she collected and studied different types of fungi. She focused on a specific type called Geotrichum candidum. She found these fungi in traditional cheese caves. She stayed in France for three more years, analyzing her samples. This extra time was supported by a grant from the French government.

Before her studies, Mother Noella could not eat much cheese. She only liked a little smoked cheddar. She had been making cheese in a wooden whiskey barrel since 1977.

Mother Noella is a member of the Abbey of Regina Laudis. Today, she often gives advice to the cheese industry in the United States. She also speaks at events and judges cheese competitions. Her brother is Jocko Marcellino, a founding member and drummer for the band Sha Na Na.

Recognition for Her Work

Rémy Grappin, a director of research in France, praised Mother Noella. He said she studied the many different types of fungi in raw-milk cheese. He also noted that she worked hard to protect this variety. This was important in a world where cheese making was becoming more standard and often used pasteurization.

Mother Noella was named the official cheese maker of the Abbey of Regina Laudis. This means she is part of a long tradition of cheese makers. She also won a French Food Spirit Award. The people who gave her the award called her an international expert on cheese.

Featured in Documentaries

Mother Noella was the main subject of a PBS documentary called The Cheese Nun. However, she has said that she does not like being called a "cheese nun." She was filmed traveling through the French countryside for the documentary. During her travels, she gathered information from many cheese-making experts.

Another nun, Mother Dolores Hart, advised her to go with the title "The Cheese Nun." Mother Dolores thought that "cheese" sounded more interesting than "fungi." Mother Noella also appeared in the Netflix series "Cooked." She was featured in the episode titled "Earth."

See also

• List of cheesemakers

Additional sources

• Microbe, "Microbiological Research Adds a Scientific Element to Cheesemaking"
• Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "Cheese fest is habit-forming"
• Holy Trinity Apostolate, "Lenten Symposium 2009"
• New Worlder, "Mother Noella & The Ecosystems of Cheese"