Madelyn Varela, Cheesemonger: Most Interesting People 2026

Why She’s Interesting: Seven years ago, Madelyn Varela was chasing a childhood dream of becoming a farmer. But a fulfilling internship on a goat farm in Arizona led her to a love of cheesemaking, which quickly became a full-time career as a cheesemonger. She works locally at Heinen’s and has also gone abroad to learn, taste and talk endlessly about the dairy delicacy.

A Melting Pot: Varela’s knowledge of cheese is mostly self-taught, relying on research and networking in groups she’s joined like the American Cheese Society.

Globetrotting: Traveling worldwide and exploring other cheese scenes is one of Varela’s favorite hobbies, which has taken her to France, Japan and Portugal. While the trips aren’t always for work, they can quickly become a business meeting. “Inevitably, I end up meeting with cheese people. We just kind of find each other.”

Cheesin’ for the Camera: Varela’s career shifted to content creation after a promotional video she made while working at a cheese shop garnered 3.6 million views. Now, with over 245,000 followers on Instagram, she’s known for quirky-yet-informed concepts like assigning each cheese a sexuality and pairing candy bars with different cheeses. “It’s gone so much outside of my original customer base, but the main drive of it is the same: to focus on making cheese more approachable and more accessible to the average consumer.”

The Dinner Menu: Of everything she’s ever tried, Varela’s favorite cheese is an Italian Negroni blue cheese soaked in gin, vermouth and bitters. But when she’s not digging dairy, she loves to eat sushi and cook Indian dishes. “I wouldn’t say cheese is my favorite food; it’s just kind of my life.”

45: The number of cheeses that Varela sampled as a judge at the 2025 World Cheese Awards in Switzerland.

Meet the rest of the 2026 class of Most Interesting People >>

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