San Miguel Women: Tonya — The Empress of Cheese
- San Miguel Life
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
For Tonya, cheese is about much more than what ends up on the plate. It is about history, ancestry, creativity, and, perhaps most importantly, bringing people together.
Originally from Canada, Tonya spent much of her career in technology, running a software company focused on human services. But alongside that very technical career was always a creative and culinary side. She knitted, made sweaters and pursued creative projects simply because they fed a different part of her, and she had always had a deep love of food and, especially, cheese.
After a devastating professional loss in 2008, Tonya began looking inward, asking herself what she had inherited that gave her the strength to withstand such a major change. That search led her to explore her ancestry and, to her surprise, discover shepherds and shepherdesses in her family history. Suddenly, her lifelong love of cheese and food took on a deeper meaning. What had always felt instinctive now felt like part of her story.
“It’s in my blood,” she says.
That discovery inspired her to explore cheese more deeply, studying cheesemaking at the University of Guelph and traveling to Tuscany, where she spent time learning alongside shepherdesses.
Years later, another period of change brought her to San Miguel. In 2021, Tonya and her husband decided they wanted something different from life behind their computers. They considered Europe but came to visit San Miguel instead. The city wasn’t entirely unknown to Tonya: she grew up in the same Canadian hometown as legendary figure skater and artist Toller Cranston, and had followed his journey to San Miguel years before making her own.
They had already hired a real estate agent before they even arrived. They came to San Miguel for just 12 hours, bought a house, and only then began exploring the city. Tonya remembers calling their 21-year-old daughter back in Canada and telling her to sell the house—they weren’t coming home.
For those of us who know San Miguel, it’s a story we’ve heard many times: people arrive for a visit and somehow just know. Sometimes San Miguel chooses you before you’ve even had time to think about it.
Today, Tonya is The Empress of Cheese, sharing the stories behind Mexico's artisan cheeses and introducing people to the farmers and producers making them.
For someone discovering you for the first time, tell us about what you do and what inspired you to create it.
I’m a cheese storyteller.
When we moved to San Miguel, I missed the European-style cheeses I loved. Then I discovered the cheese and wine festival in Tequisquiapan and came home with hundreds of dollars' worth of cheese!
I thought, What am I going to do with all this cheese? So I opened my doors. I put something on social media inviting people to come taste it, and around 130 people responded. That was really the beginning of The Empress of Cheese.
Since then, I've shared these cheeses and their stories with more than 1,500 people. My experiences are about much more than tasting. I talk about the history of cheese, the farmers and cheesemakers, pairings and how to create a beautiful cheeseboard. We usually taste nine to twelve cheeses and finish with a cheese-based dessert.
But what I love most is entertaining. I love setting a table and seeing people gather and connect over good food. I've even become friends with people who first came to me as clients.
That love of food, travel and sharing experiences extends beyond San Miguel. For the past 15 years, I’ve also organized small group trips to Europe, including trips to Tuscany where we experience the food, culture and local producers together.
How has San Miguel influenced the way you cook or create food?
The biggest surprise for me has been the abundance of incredibly fresh, specialized ingredients here. We're so lucky.
It has actually made me cook more simply because the ingredients are so good and flavorful that you don't need to do very much to them. It reminds me of France and Europe, where you have these small producers who specialize in making one thing and making it exceptionally well.
There are so many examples. The croissants at Panina are better than many I've had in France. Cristina Gerez at La Estrella makes one of the best fresh goat cheeses I've ever had. I love the mozzarella from Remos. Luna de Queso, La Factoría, and La Sabina also have great cheeses. I can even have wonderful fresh bread delivered right to my door. There is just so much available here when you start looking for it.
What role do you think women are playing in shaping San Miguel's culinary scene today?
I think there is an incredible network of women supporting and connecting with one another here.
I really see myself as a connector. I love connecting small farmers and producers with my audience, introducing them to new clients or sometimes even helping them find new venues where they can sell and showcase their products.
There is also a wonderful symbiosis here between Mexicans and those of us who have come from other countries and made San Miguel home. We can introduce people to these incredible local producers while learning from them ourselves.
For me, it's not just about finding a great cheese. It's about knowing the person behind it and then saying, You need to know about this woman. You need to try what she's making. That's one of the things I love most about this community.
How important are local producers, farms, markets or seasonal ingredients to your work?
They are really at the heart of everything I do.
I'm not the cheesemaker—I'm the storyteller. I want people to understand where the cheese came from, who made it and why it's special. When I find an incredible farmer or artisan producer, I want to connect other people to them.
My first big discovery was around Tequisquiapan, where I started learning more about the cheesemaking traditions and all of the producers in that region. From there, I realized just how many extraordinary small producers we have access to around San Miguel.
That's what makes food here so exciting to me. We have access to these incredibly specific, fresh ingredients, and there are real people and stories behind them.
FAST FIVE
A local food, ingredient or tradition you love: Cajeta—a traditional Mexican caramel-like sauce made from slowly cooked goat’s milk and sugar, and a specialty of nearby Celaya. I think it’s completely underrated. I love it paired with blue cheese or simply drizzled over ice cream.
One word that describes San Miguel's food scene: Fresh.
One San Miguel food experience everyone should try: Mushroom foraging with Simbiosis. You head out into the Guanajuato countryside to forage for incredible, colorful mushrooms, then learn about everything you’ve collected. My experience ended with an amazing Fungi Kingdom meal by Chef David Jahnke, built around seasonal ingredients and, of course, mushrooms. It’s a very intimate experience with limited seats, which makes it even more special.
One Mexican ingredient you always have in your kitchen: Cajeta. Again!
Where do you go for a special dinner? Bocaciega.
Connect with Tonya
Want to learn more about The Empress of Cheese, upcoming artisan cheese class, private experiences, and Tonya’s culinary trips to Europe? Follow along and connect with Tonya for the latest events, tastings, and travel experiences.
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