Get baked with Bambi Banks-Couleé

The drag superstar is decolonizing weed “from the kitchen to the couch” with her new cooking webseries.

By SALEM COLLO-JULIN

Bambi Banks-Couleé is resplendent in a bridal-white jumpsuit with spaghetti straps festooned with fringe as she introduces the episode. In case you didn’t catch the drift of the chyron in the bottom left corner that announces her as “the HBIC of THC,” she tells you outright: “I’m not just baking—I’m baking baking.”

Welcome to the cannabis-infused world of Bambi Bakes, an online series now in season two following a three-episode “pilot season” that debuted in December. Bambi Bakes

Banks-Couleé’s journey as a performer started in Houston, where she trained in musical theater as a high school student, and then continued on in Chicago after she moved here to study at the Theatre School at DePaul University. She was part of a crowd there that included both fellow alums Stanton and the actress and comedian Asia Martin, whose credits include Second City and an episode of The Chi , and who recently participated in Viacom/CBS’s competitive comedy showcase fellowship program. Martin helped craft and script the segment format of Bambi Bakes and both Stanton and Banks-Couleé consider her contribution invaluable to the newer episodes.

Banks-Couleé points to a conversation during her time in theater school that shaped

“I think the best thing that came out of quarantine was finding my passion for producing media digitally and I’m excited that we’re finding ways to incorporate the digital side into how we’re all producing live shows,” BanksCouleé says. “Work like ours and the work of companies like TransIt Productions [who film and edit Bambi Bakes] and other queer media companies are going to keep digital drag alive and I’m very excited about that. We need more of this content especially outside of the mainstream venues.” In fact, “She Did That” (one of the segments of the “couch” portion of Bambi Bakes episodes) helps to clue in viewers to digital content that they may not be aware of from episode guests, as Banks-Couleé watches favorite stage performances of her guests while they talk about their favorite memories from those events. These are often shorter videos that are available online, like Dida Ritz performing at a Black Girl Magic show, but it’s a treat to hear from performers about their process and see them review their own dance moves.

Episodes of Bambi Bakes live on Moving Standard’s YouTube channel, and include recipes from Lorraine Nguyen of C ầ n Sa micro-bakery (a savory serving of infused buns with baked cheese) and mushroom tarts with sauteed red onion by performer and host Lucy Stoole. Stanton is especially excited about an upcoming episode featuring performer Ramona Slick’s Pink Lemonade Bars (“they’re just incredible,” he says).