And not just the technicalities of the delicacy–the humidity needed to attain a perfect finish on a Cabrales, for example, or the precise affinage of a Manchego–but also, its ability to convey a sense of culture and place. Cheese is among those rarefied epicurean delights–like wine, like cigars–in which there’s an inextricable bond between nature’s bounty and the human hand, with an outcome that’s rooted, very specifically, in provenance. As the founder of the world-renowned, Madrid, Spain-based cheese shop Opens in a new windowFormaje, Diez finds passion and purpose in conveying the bigger stories of her culinary fascination. 

“Cheese is very connected to the place where it is made,” says Diez. “You cannot talk about it without talking about where it comes from.” She’ll add that, with Formaje, her goal is “to create a platform that gives people access to great artisanal cheeses, focusing on local products.” Yet even before founding her company, her love of travel was powered by an interest in the field. 

Spain’s cheese menu is robust. The Iberian peninsula itself is sizable enough to create a full range of profiles. “Something very interesting is that most of the cheese made in the center is produced with sheep’s milk. This is because sheep’s milk is best in dry places, and the center of Spain is very, very dry. The cheese, as a result, also tends to be dry–and sweet, and crumbly. Culturally this is considered very Spanish. But if you go to the north of the country, especially the northwest, these regions are much more humid. This makes for very fresh, youthful, cow’s milk-based cheeses. They’re creamier, with high levels of acidity.”

Even in broad strokes, Diez’s description is enough to paint a picture of a captivating Iberian terroir–from arid highlands to cloud-and-hill dappled coasts, all of it blanketed by vibrant millennia of culture. 

“I feel that, when experiencing a destination with a different lens, you never feel like a tourist,” she says. Cheese can be one such prism. “When I visit the artisans I work with, the cheesemakers, I always try to learn how they interact with the landscape and its elements. Making a connection is absolutely necessary.” 

Diez believes that travel is enhanced and synergized by a drive to truly connect with one’s interests. Doing so may result in much, much more than simply acquiring knowledge; it can galvanize experience, and it can kickstart adventure. On her gastronomic endeavors, per one example, she’s gone spelunking in caves in Spain’s Asturias region. That she applies her travel experiences to her entrepreneurial spirit only underscores the argument: Travel can impact life in all its myriad chapters.

Ultimately, she says, travel is less about a temporary visit, but rather about forging a permanent bond. “My wish is that one does not simply consume culture and place. You must be open to letting it in, and letting it become part of you.”