“It’s a place of acceptance, a place of love, a place of doing something creative and just enjoying the entire process from start to finish.”
Instagram: @plentyocookies
Plenty O’ Cooking began their drag career in college while attending Ohio State University. Since then they have been incorporating baking and cookie decorating into their drag and have spread to others the joys of both drag and baking.
Full Audio Interview:
Downloadable Transcript:
Plenty O’ Cookies Interview
Interviewer: Can you share a bit about your background and how your journey into the world of drag began? What initially drew you to this art form?
Alex (Plenty O’ Cookies): So, I got started in the world of drag when I was at Ohio State University, and they host a yearly drag show, and my friends were telling me to do it. The first year, I chickened out because I was really afraid of it, and I had never seen a drag show before, so I chickened out. Then, the next year, I was dating someone, and I had seen my first ever drag show, and I decided I would finally do it. So, I had my friend, who is my drag sister now—she painted me. And then I had another drag sister who took me shopping to get some clothes and heels and things like that, and I did an amateur drag show at Ohio State University. I just kept going after that; nothing really drew me to the art form. Honestly, I never thought it would be anything more than just a one-time show, and after that one show, where I started getting booked after that, it just kind of all—it kind of all just, like, happened after that.
Interviewer: What inspired the creation of your drag persona, and how did you decide to blend your passion for baking with your drag performances? Who or what are your biggest influences?
Alex: So, the inspiration for my drag persona—it’s actually really funny—but I just, I really like this, you know, 60s housewife aesthetic. I was with my ex and my friend at this bar one evening, and we were trying to come up with a drag name for me. We were coming up with all these different names, and I don’t remember any of them, except for, at one point, they just said, “What if she was Irish?” And it’s funny—there’s nothing about me that’s Irish other than my name. And then they said, “Well, what if she was, what if she had, like, a lot of something, like her name is Plenty.” And then they said, “Plenty O’ something… Plenty O’…” and we came up with all these different ideas for Plenty O’. I went to the bathroom and came back, and I smile a lot—I mean, I just smile a lot. And my friend said, “What if it was Plenty O’ Smiles?” And that just stuck, so I’ve kept it ever since. My persona is really who I am as Alex, just with a costume and makeup. It’s very much my community theater kind of thing—it’s just a character that I play that’s pretty much myself, just in female form. I don’t really have a lot of influences because, when I started, I just started randomly. I mean, I grab some influence from my drag mom, my drag sisters, and a lot of comedic people. I tend to do a lot of comedy numbers, so I get a lot of ideas and inspiration from those kinds of places. The way audiences respond to my unique combination of drag and baking is amazing—I feel like they’ve just never seen it before. I believe I am the first-ever drag queen cookie decorator in the world. I haven’t fact-checked that, but I truly believe it’s true, and people really love it. I think it’s really nice to have someone there who tries to be as encouraging as possible. It’s a place of acceptance, a place of love, a place of doing something creative and just enjoying the entire process from start to finish. I think people really enjoy that. There are a lot of similarities, too, because most of the people who are decorating cookies have never decorated cookies before. When I first started drag and when I first started cookies, you know, you have to give yourself some grace because it’s your very first time. I try to incorporate that into my workshops and let people know that it’s okay if their cookies don’t look great because we all have to start at the beginning. It might not be perfect, but there’s always room to grow. It’s okay, and at the end of the day, the cookies are gonna taste the same anyway—they’re gonna taste wonderful.
Interviewer: How do audiences respond to the unique combination of drag and baking? Have there been any memorable reactions or experiences that stand out to you?
Alex: You know, I feel like, generally, the reactions are pretty similar. I love making people happy, and I love entertaining people. So anytime I’m making people smile, letting them enjoy what I do, and if they’re having fun, I’m having fun. So I think, generally, the reactions—just people smiling, laughing, enjoying the time with me—makes me so happy.
Interviewer: What have been the biggest rewards and challenges in balancing your drag artistry with running your own baking business?
Alex: So, I feel like within running any business, a big challenge is finding this balance of, you know, work and personal life. For a long time, I was really working—I mean, I was working two jobs, and I was doing drag. I was performing a lot in drag too. So it was really about finding that balance of when I’m off work, whether it’s drag or baking, taking that time for myself. I didn’t have a very healthy balance at first; I was really hustling. Now, I have a much better balance where I give myself time to enjoy life and spend time with my friends and family. Finding that balance was key. I think a lot of small business owners would probably agree with that—you have to find time to take for yourself and have time off.
Interviewer: What drives you to keep performing drag, and is there a particular message or emotion you hope to express through your work?
Alex: Um, you know, something I never thought about when I was first starting drag or starting my business that includes drag, is that it would be so fulfilling. People will message me or come up to me and say that I was their introduction to drag, or they know someone, or they themselves are, you know, at this point where they might want to come out or are figuring out who they are. They come to me, ask me questions, look for resources, or tell me that my representation in the world means something to them or is helping them in some way. That is probably what drives me to keep doing what I’m doing, because it’s something I never knew would be part of it. I tell people all the time that representation matters, so it’s so important for me to just be out there and be visible, because people need that, and they value that. So I think that’s what keeps me going and performing in drag.
Interviewer: Looking to the future, what are your aspirations for both your own drag career and the drag community at large? What progress would you love to see in the coming years?
Alex: So, now looking to the future—building my drag career and the drag community at large—I just want to make sure people know that it’s accepting. It’s for everyone. If people want to experiment with performing in drag and, you know, just have fun with it, I want them to know it’s there. It doesn’t have to be rushed, and it doesn’t have to be something you do forever. But if you’re looking to try it out, go for it. Go for it! It’s a loving and accepting group of people who will be there to help you along the way. For me, I don’t perform as much as I used to, but I still love performing. I guess you could even consider my cookie workshops a type of performing because I’m sort of “on” for those, too. Looking to the future as a drag entertainer, I just want to keep making people happy, entertaining them, and making sure they feel good when they come into and leave my workshops. Something I would love to see change or progress in, I guess, both the drag and cookie communities, is that we can always practice more acceptance, more love, and more encouragement. I think that applies to any community. I truly want to make people happy, and I want people to be able to do whatever they want and live their lives fully. So, I guess that’s the kind of progress I’d like to see in any community I’m a part of.