"Miss Hell's Kitchen" Finds Its Playlist For the Future

It’s gloomy outside in the middle of May. It’s like the sky is unsure if it should will open up and allow the sunshine through or just keep the sky cloaked in clouds all day. I was lying down thinking to myself that I could be writing since I haven’t done it in a while. I have been super busy lately & slept in, but the thought came into my mind that success comes from consistency & I have always loved writing my blog. I also have a lot to catch you up on.

This year began with me joining HIV Stops With Me as a 2025 campaign spokesmodel. Then Miss Hell’s Kitchen, a local NYC pageant and HIV fundraiser, announced its status as an official 501(c)(3) in New York State and also partnered with Spotify for the 2025 event held a few months ago. Broadway Bares season is kicking off, AIDS Walk has come and gone, Pride season is here, I traveled to Spain, London, & DC. The question with my writing is: Where do I start? I already talked about the beginning of the campaign, so maybe let’s highlight Miss Hell’s Kitchen a little bit.

I produce the annual Miss Hell’s Kitchen pageant and related events with the creator & my best friend, Shane Terenzi. On our team we also have Kristyn Alexandrea & Peter Kontos. Since becoming an official nonprofit in the state of New York, things have started to take off even more than before. It has felt like a dream that all of these amazing things are happening, especially with the crazy political climate that we are currently witnessing—it’s nice to have pockets of hope.

Let me start with last summer where I met this gorgeous man on Fire Island & we struck up a conversation about being advocates within our community. It’s like we saw each other on a deeper level & wanted to help each other in this world. This man later went on to be our head judge for the pageant & at the time I had no idea the strides this would make for our organization. I think that’s the best, when you get to know someone for their heart & the greatness they bring to the world before discovering the places they hold in this world. He works for the global brand of Spotify.

After being our head judge at the pageant in 2024, he immediately wanted to get his company involved with Miss Hell’s Kitchen because he recognized what we are doing because at its core, it’s exactly the heart that Shane started it with. It has the heart of the community, the honor and memory of those we’ve lost & the hope to make positive change in this world one day at a time.

It took a few months to organize, but we finally held a Miss Hell’s Kitchen event at the Spotify offices on Thursday, March 27th, in New York City that included the fabulous Sabel Scities, who was crowned Miss Hell’s Kitchen 2024, & the event was hosted by the one & only Alaska Thunderfuck 5000, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season Two.

I never thought I’d see the day when this organization was holding events in a skyscraper with its reigning queen & ambassador performing on the same stage as many of our favorite artists. And this is only the beginning: Mark your calendars now for our next pagaent, which will be held October 12. (I’ll post more details in the future, but check out our Instagram and website at MissHellsKitchen.com for updates.) We have been dreaming big & now we have a partnership with a brand that believes in community & knows that music brings us together. Through their brand Spectrum, we will continue to grow & help end stigma.

I marveled at the beauty of the view from the 72nd floor, but to be able to make a partnership & give it to my friends & queer community through a friendship made on Fire Island has felt like a dream. It feels likes a miracle. This was a reminder that we are everywhere & that friends and members of our community will always be there to provide the hope & miracles that you didn’t know existed — just keep the faith in goodness alive.