Sofía Vergara may have a thriving food business, but she is not pretending to be the chef behind it. Vergara and her son launched their culinary brand TOMA in June 2024.
The “America’s Got Talent” judge recently opened up about her relationship with food and entertaining. She shared her love for bringing people together, even though she leaves most of the cooking to others.
Fortunately, Vergara has someone close to her who is much more comfortable in the kitchen. Manolo Gonzalez, Vergara’s son and business partner, has become the designated cook in the family.
Sofía Vergara Says She Loves To Eat But Leaves The Cooking To Others
Vergara discussed her approach to entertaining in an August 24 interview with “Food & Wine.” The actress shared how social gatherings and good food have always been an important part of her life.
She grew up in a large family in Barranquilla, Colombia. According to Vergara, weekends were often filled with family gatherings and celebrations. That tradition followed her when she eventually moved to Los Angeles. She now regularly hosts gatherings of her own, with family and friends in attendance.
However, hosting does not necessarily mean cooking for the actress. “My son loves to cook,” Vergara reportedly said. “I love to eat, but I don’t know anything about cooking.” Instead, she focuses on other parts of entertaining, generally creating an atmosphere where her guests can be most relaxed.
Her son Manolo, meanwhile, takes a much more hands-on approach when food is involved. He became interested in cooking when he was younger and is now the family’s go-to cook, even on major holidays. “I cook the Thanksgiving turkey every year,” he revealed in the interview.
Manolo Gonzalez Vergara Previously Said His Mom ‘Doesn’t Cook At All’
Vergara’s latest admission may not surprise fans who have followed Manolo’s previous comments about his mother. During an interview with “Parade,” Manolo explained his interest in cooking. Apparently, he developed his skills partly because his mother had little interest in doing so herself.
“I learned how to cook out of necessity,” he said. “She doesn’t cook at all. She hates being in the kitchen,” he explained. “She’s not drawn to it at all. But I am, and I enjoy the process of cooking. I like cooking without a recipe. This sounds annoying, but it’s almost like an artistic thing, you know, just kind of [seeing] what happens.”
In that same interview, Sofía Vergara reminisced proudly about his earliest foray into the kitchen. “He always cooked, always watched Emeril [Lagasse] and Food Network, and it was very cute,” she shared. “He used to make his own breakfast and lunch; he always made me dinners.”
Sofía Vergara And Her Son Turned Their Love Of Food Into Toma
Vergara and Manolo teamed up with hospitality entrepreneur Sam Mazarian to launch the culinary brand “Toma” in 2024. The mother-son duo celebrated the venture with a launch event in Los Angeles that same month.
Toma allowed Vergara and her son to take their longtime connection to Latin food and turn it into a business. Initially known mostly for its empanadas, the pair have since continued increasing its offerings.
As the business has grown, Manolo has continued to discuss his plans for the venture. In a 2025 interview with “¡HOLA!,” Manolo spoke about expanding Toma and introducing additional products.
“We’re going all out with our food brand TOMA. And we’re really moving at full speed, expanding, launching new flavors, and getting into more stores and more points of sale,” he shared. “That’s what I’m focusing on. It’s going incredibly well, and thank God people love the product; they love the empanadas and the pandebono.”
