Feb. 3, 2026, 6:01 a.m. ET Madelyn Varela is a Heinen’s cheesemonger and social media influencer who’s traveled around the world with a goal to make cheese more approachable. Varela began creating short-form videos about what was in the cheese case at Old Brooklyn to help customers who were overwhelmed or had social anxiety around asking questions. Looking forward, she plans to continue growing her platform and become more involved in the American Cheese Society. Growing up, Madelyn Varela got the impression that not much was expected of her. Teachers believed her dyslexia and dyscalculia diagnoses weren’t real. Some called her stupid and claimed she wouldn’t amount to much because of her autism spectrum disorder. At 15 years old, she was reading at a third grade level. Family members worried that on her current trajectory, she would never leave home. No one could’ve imagined that a decade later, Varela would be a cheesemonger and social media influencer who’s traveled around the world with a goal to make cheese more approachable. “A lot of my adult life has been forged out of spite and a desire to prove people wrong,” she said. Cheesy Talk with Madelyn Varela Varela showcases lesser-known and
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