CheeseMé Charcuterie Boards hosted grand-opening festivities for its new brick-and-mortar location over the weekend. Launched as a catering and event business in 2024, CheeseMé expanded through a partnership with a neighboring Beacon Hill coffee shop in 2025. Earlier this summer, the business moved into a converted home on East Quincy Street, almost directly below the elevated highway. The two-day celebration included an artisan market, live music, beer samples from Saint Arnold Brewing Co. and a ribbon-cutting with the San Antonio LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce.

CheeseMé (pronounced like the Spanish word chisme, meaning “gossip”) sits a block from Otto’s Ice House, across the San Antonio River in a small but growing Pearl-adjacent business district. Nearby businesses include Ming’s at Midtown, Midtown Social Bar & Grill and Thrift @ The Warehouse.

With a slogan of “come for the cheese, stay for the chismé,” the shop provides a cozy alternative to the booming restaurant landscape at Pearl. Billed as a “Latina woman-Owned cheese and charcuterie lounge,” CheeseMé’s new space includes a small retail selection with about 20 types of cheese and several other artisinal products. Two other rooms in the home provide relaxed sitting areas to enjoy options from its menu of charcuterie boards and sandwiches along with a glass of wine or a cold beer. Nearly every corner of the shop is lined with vibrant artwork, plush pillows and potent pops of color.

“The mission of CheeseMé is to create a space for people who want to come eat cheese together,” founder Jessica Mueller said while taking a break from the weekend’s bustle with business partners Mel Mueller and Sandrine McCurdy.

CheeseMé’s compact selection spans a wide range of global flavors, including a top-selling Wensleydale from Great Britain, a petit créme from California and homegrown options from River Whey Creamery in nearby Schertz. The selection changes frequently based on availability, seasonal changes and holidays.

“A lot of it is about education, just breaking down the barrier and getting people to try different cheeses, because nine times out of 10, once they taste it, they’ll fall in love with it,” Mueller said. “When I’m cracking open a wheel, they’re like, ‘Oh no, no, no! You don’t have to do that for me.’ Actually, no, I do. That’s what we’re here for. This is what I want to do. This is the reason I opened a cheese shop. It’s really to make it accessible.”

CheeseMé still has a robust event and catering business. Its sitting rooms are available to rent for private functions, such as an upcoming “Real Housewives” watch party. Expansion plans include improving the backyard to create more seating and supplementing the few tree-shaded tables out front. While the business is growing, Mueller said she isn’t trying to corner the cheese market in San Antonio.

“Honestly, I align with a lot of cheese shops. In fact, I look up to a lot of cheese shops. It’s not like I’m trying to be bigger and better than them,” she said. “What I’ve learned is the cheese community, other cheese owner shop owners are amazing. They’re so friendly because they just want to spread the word of the cheese. It’s like a religion. Everybody literally just wants to see more cheese in the world.”

CheeseMé Charcuterie Boards, 1107 E. Quincy St., 210-420-9710, cheesemesa.com, Instagram: @cheeseme_sa. Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.