The Herstory Project

Gloria Camariillo-Vasquez, a descendant of Guachichil Chichimeca from Zacatecas is a spiritual guide who treasures her tribal heritage. Gloria and her family were part of the effort to establish the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation and its nonprofit agency the American Indians of Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions, which is run by her son, Ramon Vasquez. She is the founder of Circulo de Chispas a...

Christina Gonzalez was born and raised on the South side of San Antonio. After unexpected heart surgery at the age of 31, Christina had to learn the struggles of being on disability, the Medicaid system, and financial hardship. After years of struggling in silence, Christina finally found her voice as a community advocate. 

With a lifelong passion for global cooking and holistically nourishing the body through food, Chef Elizabeth Johnson has a rich background that reflects her complementary philosophies at her restaurant Pharm Table in San Antonio. The James Beard Foundation referred to Johnson as a “Food is Medicine guru,” and as such, she considers the name Pharm Table a synonym for culinary medicine.

Chef Nicola Blaque is a restaurateur and chef based in San Antonio, Texas. Chef Blaque is the executive chef and owner of the Jerk Shack, a Jamaican-inspired restaurant in San Antonio. The restaurant that offers fare like jerk chicken, braised oxtail, and more quickly became a staple after opening in 2018. In 2024, The Jerk Shack was awarded a Bib Gourmand designation from the prestigious Michelin...

Alexana Cabrera was born and raised in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. She knew at an early age that she wanted to pursue a career as a chef. With an adventurous, independent, and entrepreneurial spirit, at 18, she moved to San Antonio to pursue her career. Chef Alexana leads her team as Chef de Cuisine at the critically acclaimed and nationally lauded Mixtli. Recently, Mixtli was awarded a Michelin St...

Sofia Tejeda, born and raised in Mexico City, followed her passion for food and creativity upon moving to San Antonio. After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America San Antonio in 2017, she pursued a career as a pastry chef. Sofia gained experience at renowned establishments such as Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery and worked as executive pastry chef at Mixtli and Hotel Emma. Sofia’s excep...

Tracie has a heart of service. She is passionate about others and advocates for everyone’s success. Tracie is an expert at designing, executing, and operating growth-oriented solutions. She has done so for varied organizations and early career individuals. She’s an authentic servant leader, mentor, and advocate. When Tracie founded Alamo Kitchens in 2018, she brought all of these attributes to her...

Chapter Four of The Herstory Project features the stories of seven women culinary leaders who play a key role in San Antonio’s prestigious UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation. While this list is certainly not exhaustive, each of these women represents critical aspects of our city’s culinary heritage and practice, including regenerative farming, entrepreneurship, and Indigenous traditions. I hand...

Now it's your turn to respond. Take time to write down ways you can make rest real in your life. 

Uel is a native San Antonian, representing the Eastside for 21 years. She is a housing and environmental advocate. She believes that policy must be rooted in the community in order to make the most impact. In her free time, Uel likes to hang out with friends and family to recharge and drink matcha.

Taylor Mobley is a television producer, host, hyper-creative, and philanthropist whose work is always rooted in serving others. Taylor’s work as a producer for reality television has taught her to expect the unexpected! Taylor began her career in television as a producer with “San Antonio Living” on the local NBC affiliate, and “Daytime with Kimberly & Esteban” on the local Fox affiliate. Her...

LadyStacie Rimes-Boyd is the Associate Director of Campus Relations in CELCS at Trinity. She made her way to Trinity through untraditional routes that started in a small East Texas town, led her to Baylor University and then to Georgetown Law followed by non-profits in DC and finally to San Antonio. LadyStacie strongly believes in lifelong learning, curiosity, and connections. She brings energy an...

Julie Ledet is an artist, writer, and gardener residing in San Antonio, TX. Through her interactive installations, photography and printmaking, Ledet explores the ritual behavior she finds specific to her native Southern Louisiana, examining the undeniable allure surrounding its culture and people.

Juany Torres is the oldest daughter of working class Mexican immigrants and a first generation American. She was born and raised in the south side of San Antonio, Texas and attended Stanford University on a full scholarship by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation before receiving her Masters in Public Policy from UT Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs. Juany is focused on increasing equity and...

As the Radical Joy Coach™, Jordan helps bleeding heart business leaders learn to be advocates for themselves and their communities through the practice of rest. Jordan has coached business owners from a variety of industries like: public relations, life coaching, floral design, event planning, copywriting, and local government learn how to rest, dream, and (imp)act. Having spent four years lovingl...

Jonabelle Josiane Timms is a big dreamer who believes in taking leaps to receive the most out of what life has to offer us. She grew up in a family business and has always had a desire to create a space like no other. After growing a large following on social media through her passion for videography and marketing, she opened Beauty Haus, a beauty studio and energy studio which has served as a saf...

Korean-American, a child of the US east coast, a later transplant and believer of San Antonio, Texas. Gratefully married, pursing a career in commercial real estate as a means to a purpose. Thankful to wake up another day.

Christina Jovanna Olivarez is an award-winning Strategist, Coach, Trainer & TEDx Speaker. She has coached and impacted thousands of minority-owned businesswomen through the Hustle + Socialize conference, summit, educational events, social media trainings, and 1–1 business coaching. For over 8 years, Christina has empowered businesswomen to generate over $500K+ in revenue dollars for their busi...

I’m a seven-year teaching veteran teaching our future leaders to be decent human beings along with academics. I believe that I’m helping to shape the future of our country with love and tenacity. Everything I do is for my daughter I want her to grow up and see all her mother has accomplished and been through and say, “yes that’s MY MOM and she’s a badass, I couldn’t be prouder.”

Caroline Gonzales is an abstract artist, born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. Gonzales’ work reflects her journey as a woman through obstacles, challenges, and celebrations. Gonzales envisages her blank canvas by digging deep into her emotions and realizations. Colors, forms, and movements all playing a part in her orchestrated conclusion- whether it be one piece or a series for this to happen....

Ms. Alicia Sebastian is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, and has been a San Antonio resident for 17 years. Ms. Sebastian has worked in nonprofit development and program management for over ten years leading and serving several community initiatives that support positive outcomes, focusing on mentorship, life, and career readiness concentrated on youth development. Sebastian is also an entrepren...

Amanda Dominguez owns and operates Digital Pro Lab, a full-service professional photo lab located in San Antonio, specializing in image printing and archiving. She has a BA in History and Philosophy from the University of the Incarnate Word. With over 20+ years of experience printing, photo editing, and image archiving, she is dedicated to helping photo takers of all levels document the world and...

Alexandra is a public health advocate and tech startup co-founder based in San Antonio, Texas. She’s passionate about creating spaces that empower people to form healing connections within their community. In her free time she loves baking, traveling, and exploring food & culture with her partner and their two dogs.

Akaimi Davis, born and raised in Austin, Texas, knew her life’s calling was to become an artist at the age of 5. Fine art is her third career, following 12 years as a licensed hairstylist, as well as a graphic designer and art director for 11 years. Following a very rare cancer diagnosis in 2012, Davis chose to resign from her position as art director for one of the nation’s top 25 retailers. She...