Mon Histoire

My Story

I was born and raised in Santa Rosa, California to immigrant Mexican parents. Growing up in California my family did not have much so my mother always found a way to improvise and stretch the groceries to feed a family of six. I remember watching my parents cook every time they were in the kitchen. My sister, Rosa, was often left in charge of me and my siblings, and let me tell you she was not a good cook. Rosa's specialty was a hot dog and egg scramble which, to say the least, wasn't horrible but it was a choice. I always took it upon myself to go into the kitchen and try to recreate some of the recipes I would watch my parents cook. 

At the age of 9, we moved to Michoacán, Mexico for about two year. While living in Mexico I was exposed to a community rich in culture  and pride. We would often go to the mercado or el rancho to get fresh delicious produce. Walking around the vendor stands you would experience sensory overload with all the scents, sounds, and drool from all the samples available. I have fond memories of these trips. However, I never felt like I fit in. I felt like I was not Mexican enough or American enough to fit into these two cultures I was wedged in between. 

When we moved back to the United States my parents decided to literally move us across the country and ended up in Zebulon, North Carolina. As if I didn't already feel like I didn't fit in now I really did not fit in. Throughout my youth I was bullied and teased for being chubby, effeminate, Mexican, and whatever else you can think of but that did not stop me from wanting to succeed and get out of that small town. 

At the age of 17, I became a vegetarian for health reasons. At my heaviest I was about 155lbs, now you might think that doesn't sound very heavy but when you're only 5'5 that weight shows. Within 6 months of no longer eating meat and exercising regularly I lost about 30lbs. At 125lbs I felt more confident in my own skin, I no longer cared what anyone said about me. As cliché as it may sound, I started to blossom. I graduated from high school and off to college I went. 

I moved to Raleigh to attend North Carolina State University. In college I felt free and ready to take on the world. I did not just come out of the closet, I blew those doors off their hinges with bedazzled dynamite. I was G-G-GAY. Well I still am but maybe a little more toned down now. It was here where I found a way to express my creativity. I had to be creative with my dorm room meals because we only had access to a microwave and hot water. I could turn a cup of noodles into a gourmet meal. 

Perhaps the most creative thing I did in college was creating my drag persona, Alexandra. I started performing in drag on a whim, like in the kitchen, I was able to express my creativity by creating looks for Alexandra. I will admit that at the beginning the dishes or looks I conceptualized were not always executed as I imagined them. You could say it was the beginning of my life as a messy queen. 

Life always finds a way to make a mess of things. In 2011 my mother was deported to Mexico. This devastated me and made me feel as if I had lost control of my life. I fell into a deep depression and lost my way. It wasn't until I got back into the kitchen that I was able to regain control of my life. Things around me may have been falling apart and I had no control over them but in the kitchen I was able to control everything. I was able to control what I was cooking, how I was cooking it and who would be eating it. You could say I developed some control issues. It took years of therapy to finally find my inner happiness and give me back the confidence I once had. 

It was at NC State that I met my boyfriend Chase. We met our freshman year of college and have been together ever since. We have traveled to many countries and I could not ask for a better travel companion. I think he would agree with me when I say that the best part about traveling is eating all the different foods. He has supported me through me all my endeavors or whatever crazy ideas I might get in my head. 

In 2013 I got the opportunity to study abroad in Paris, France. Having came from humble beginnings I always romanticized the idea of Paris, the city of lights, the city of love. I admired the french language, the french food and culture not to mention the french men, ooh la la. During my time in Paris I drew inspiration from all the cafés, patisseries, and boulangeries for ways that I could apply it to my cooking. Surprisingly, the French did not have many vegetarian alternatives so for the most part my diet consisted of baguettes, cheese and €3 bottles of wine but I'm not complaining. Then when I returned back to the United States Chase and I decided to form a little FURmily and added Appa, our goofy Siberian Husky. He was and continues to be a very peculiar dog, he has his quirks but radiates nothing but love.

Fast forward to February 2018 I got a call that I’d been cast in the 9th season of MasterChef. I was given a week to make all the arrangements to go out to LA and start filming. I had to put everything on hold including planning a wedding and go out to LA for over a month. It was here that I met some amazingly talented individuals and I found my love for the entertainment industry. I LOVED the entire experience of getting into hair and makeup, lights everywhere, cameras all over the place and producers yelling about something or another. It was exhilarating!

I took it upon myself to pursue my creative passions and I created my food blog “La Femme A Faim” which means “the lady is hungry” because I’m always hungry. I created and shared vegan and vegetarian recipes for all. But that was not enough, I wanted to get behind the camera so I enrolled in acting classes at in-Studio Drama School in Greensboro, NC and with the help of my acting coach Drew Matthews I have been able to appear in several commercial and film projects. But this is only the beginning because I will not be done until I make a mark on the world.

I thank you for having taken the time to visit my site getting to know me a little better.

Love Always,  

-Juni