How a Latina restaurateur brought her Mexican culture and grit to Napa’s La Cheve Bakery and Brews
Walking into Napa’s 19th-century “Old Adobe” building with its textured walls and wooden beams, the competing aromas of Mexican cuisine greet you. Demanding your senses’ attention are either the punch of chili swirling in the air, the hint of coffee, or the comforting smell of warm bread and conchas — a sugar-crusted pastry resembling a seashell — fresh out of the oven.
Visionary Cinthya Cisneros converted the oldest building in Napa County into a successful restaurant and brewery: La Cheve Bakery and Brews. Pride in her culture is evident throughout the business, from the name — “Cheve” (slang for “beer” in Spanish) — to the decor, the mission, and even her wardrobe. Donning a traditional, embroidered Mexican blouse, Cisneros embodies a woman deeply connected to her Mexican roots and her well-established life as an immigrant to the United States.
Cisneros remains dedicated to serving dishes and beverages from her ancestors. Her restaurant opened during the 2020 pandemic, and against all odds, it has remained standing and even prevailed despite the pandemic’s challenges.
As an immigrant from Mexico to the United States, her impact has reinforced the narrative that immigrants are a vital part of the workforce and essential to the country’s economy and society. Their impact is referred to as the “immigration surplus,” in which their contributions to the economy benefit both American-born citizens and immigrants, according to the Catalyst journal, a nonpartisan branch of the George W. Bush Institute.
Despite the Trump administration’s brute force tactics to deport immigrants, many are still in pursuit of the American Dream. Cisneros admitted that immigrating at a young age was more difficult than opening a restaurant. Nevertheless, having skillfully tackled both, Cisneros is one of the many exemplary immigrants who have made invaluable contributions to her community.
Cisneros was a young girl when her parents, “Momma Juana” and Ezequiel, made the life-changing decision to immigrate to the United States from Michoacán, México. As the oldest of three siblings, Cisneros was propelled into a life of unknowns.
Her idea of the American Dream has been to “[break] the cycle of poverty” that generations of her family members were unable to escape. Her parents believed that this could only be achieved through their children’s pursuit of higher education.
Many immigrants echo this sentiment. In their quest of the promised dream, nearly 70 percent say that if given the choice, they would still migrate to the United States.
Growing up as a young Latina learning English in school, she didn’t have the conventional childhood that most kids in Napa had. Between 1996 and 1997, the Hispanic/Latino community comprised approximately 21% of the population compared to around 74% of the white population in Napa.
In a small, majority-white town, Cisneros felt that receiving support and seeing people who looked and spoke like her was challenging. She realized that her family was her community, and she was the tether holding them together.
When her younger brother was diagnosed with autism, she was in third grade — and her life changed with his. To secure the best resources and educators for their son, Cisneros’ parents transferred her brother to different schools, which required her to move schools as well. At only nine years old, Cisneros was entrusted with many adult responsibilities, as she was the only proficient English speaker in her family.
“I grew up a little faster because I had to be the translator for my family between doctors and [my brother],” Cisneros said. “I [had] to read legal paperwork and figure out how to ensure that he got programs that my parents couldn’t really understand.”
The tenacity she developed in her childhood shaped her professional life. Cisneros recognized a gap in Latino representation in public schools, influencing her decision to teach chemistry. Recalling her beloved high school chemistry teacher, she sought to instill in her students the same level of engagement in science that she received.
Further applying her degree in chemistry, she became a brewmaster and began planning La Cheve. Despite having few examples of Latina businesswomen to inspire her, Cisneros set her sights on the historic 1845 building in Napa as the site for her restaurant.
“When I was looking at different locations, I was always comparing it to the Old Adobe house because in my business plan, I literally wrote that I wanted people to feel like they were in a little piece of Mexico,” Cisneros said.
The various skills she acquired along the way have helped her create a harmonious business. Having worked to create a safe and encouraging environment for her students, she transferred this to her role in the restaurant business. Cisneros’ goal has been to establish a familial culture with the staff and customers of her restaurant.
“Clearly, the community loves La Cheve and more places like La Cheve, so there’s a need for places like that,” Cisneros said. “But also because of the culture that’s inside of it, I think also speaks volumes of why people keep coming back, too.”
After receiving Congressman Mike Thompson’s 2025 Napa County American Dream Award, Cisneros remains in awe of where she started and how far she has come. In many ways, her successes are a testament to her family, to herself and to the generations of immigrants whose spirit continues to bring about change.
Outside the walls of her restaurant, her other community work includes founding the La Cheve American Dream Scholarship for 10,000 Degrees Students, which serves as an investment in the future of immigrant youth. Cisneros implies that instead of tearing immigrants down, their stories should be uplifted.
As La Cheve continues to thrive after six years in business, now extending to another bar and eatery in downtown Napa (Con Amor Botanas y Tequila), Cisneros still carries the hefty weight of societal expectations. But she now holds this weight with purpose for everything she applies herself to.
“I’m not only representing [myself] as a Latina, but I’m representing all my Latinas,” Cisneros said. “So, I need to show up for all of us […] like a boss.”
Check out the official website for La Cheve Bakery and Brews for more information.
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