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Madelyn Varela
Madelyn Varela didn’t set out to change the cheese industry – at least not at first. But the 24-year-old is certainly changing the way her 500,000 TikTok and Instagram followers purchase, prepare and enjoy cheese.
Varela, a Cleveland-based lesbian cheesemonger goes by Cheezy Talk with Madelyn (@cheezytalkwithmadelyn) on social media, where she delves into the flavors, textures and histories of cheeses from around the world and explores creative “unhinged cheese pairings” featuring everything from chocolates and candies to cured meats and pickled vegetables.
Varela first toyed with the idea of creating short-form cheese videos when she noticed customers were often overwhelmed by the selection of cheeses at the Cleveland cheese shop where she worked.
For many Americans, Varela said, cheese can feel socially and financially inaccessible. But with a better understanding of cheeses and cheesemaking, she hoped customers might feel more confident and knowledgeable.
She was right.
In 2021, she officially launched Cheezy Talk With Madelyn – and the account took off, gaining tens of thousands of followers across social media platforms in its first year alone.
“I think [the account’s success] speaks to the fact that people were wanting this,” Varela said. “There is this mindset that cheese is a really fancy, unattainable food, but really, cheese is an everyday thing. It’s a special food, but it’s something that I think should be approachable and accessible for everyone.”
Cheezy origins
Before she started kindergarten, Varela knew she wanted to be a farmer.
“I remember I was in preschool and we had to draw what we wanted to be,” she said. “I drew a farmer – and as I grew up, that never really went away.”
While still in high school, Varela secured a part-time internship at a small farmstead creamery in her home state of Arizona. After graduating, she skipped traditional college courses in favor of a series of internships at different dairies across the country.
“Since we’re working with dairy animals, obviously we have a lot of milk,” she said. “I just happened to be helping in the cheese room at my first full-time internship and I quickly fell in love with cheesemaking,” she said.
At 21, Varela pivoted her career and moved to Cleveland, where she worked as a full-time cheesemaker for several years before venturing into the retail side of the industry.
“It was just kind of an organic transition from one thing to the next for me,” said Varela, who now works as a full-time cheesemonger for a specialty grocer in Northeast Ohio.
Despite a general lack of diversity in the cheese industry, Varela said she and many other LGBTQ+ people have built successful careers and communities for themselves – particularly in cheese retail.
“It’s complicated, like any industry,” she said. “But I have found my people. I have found community. If there’s anyone that’s worried about that, you will find your people, too.”
Serving up Pride
This June, Varela made a conscious decision to spotlight her identity as a lesbian in the industry.
As part of her wildly popular Pride Board video series, Varela designed and arranged cheese boards that represent elements of LGBTQ+ identities.
“I’ve always known who I am and I’ve always been comfortable with who I am,” Varela said. “If you don’t like me just because I’m gay, I don’t need your support and you can fuck off.”
“It’s such a terrible time right now, and it’s really difficult for a lot of us, especially being here in Ohio.” she added. “This year, I wanted to make more of an effort to actually center a good portion of my content around Pride Month. I wanted to do a series that was fun and lighthearted and creative but was still able to validate and recognize people for who they are.”
Each video featured the same intro: “It’s Pride Month – and I’m a lesbian cheesemonger!”
Beginning with her own “personal area of expertise,” Varela launched the series with a Lesbian Board featuring truffle honey, fruity dark chocolate, peaches and cherries, honey barbecue chickpeas and Délice de Bourgogne, “a sexy triple cream [cheese] from France.”
“Something about this cheese just screams sapphic to me, because this is not your run-of-the-mill triple cream,” Varela said. “It starts out somewhat sweet and very buttery, and then melts down into this sweet and slightly peppery finish.”
“For me, it’s just that touch of extra to its personality that I feel like all of us lesbians have within us,” she added. “Whether we show it through our clothing, taste in music, hobbies or simply just being our authentic selves.”
Initially, Varela said, she intended the series to be “a little bit more cheeky,” with humorous innuendos. However, the project evolved organically into something slightly more serious.
“It did have that humor to some extent, but it was also more serious and more validating – which I think is what people needed,” Varela said. “And, internally, since that happened, I think that’s what I needed, too.”
“We really kind of weeded out some people with that Pride Board series,” she added. “Which I’m very happy about.”
Growing cheese community
Next up, Varela is venturing into travel, partnering with Vacationeeze LLC to host a 6-day cheese tour of northern Spain later this year.
Travelers will accompany Varela across the Basque region, visiting ancient cheese aging caves and other exclusive cheese-related locations not often accessible to the general public.
As the nature of her work in the cheese industry expands – and as her views and follower count climb – Varela said one thing remains at the same:
“I just love introducing people to that one cheese that ends up being their gateway cheese into this world,” she said. “When their pupils dilate and their eyes widen? That’s absolutely the best and most rewarding part of what I do.”
Originally published by The Buckeye Flame. Republished here with permission.
