We were lucky to catch up with Sexton (They/them) recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sexton, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Thanks for asking! Risks have been an important aspect in my life, but for this question I want to take you back to when I was an awkward little trans kid.

I want to take you back to third grade Sexton. I had new glasses, braces and a bowl cut. I was the oldest kid in my family and I was starting to understand being adopted (more on that later). I was awkward, got in trouble at school, and had a hard time making friends. I was misunderstood, and I was bullied. To ease my loneliness, I carried around a large collection of miniature plushies. When the teases and taunts of other students became unbearable, I wielded my plushies like my own, personal, protective army, a battalion against the bullies. These little critters were my family, and in their world, I could be free without fear.

School bullies were my biggest enemy, and as I got older, well, the bullies just got older too. As I gained confidence, I found myself speaking up for my peers and for myself. Protests, petitions, volunteering- these activities became important facets of my life, especially as I entered college.
As an adult, I am still faced with the battle against bullies. As business owners, we are often told of the big RISK of vocalizing our opinions on “political matters.”
For many of us, especially in the queer community, our existence is a “political matter”.

The stakes are high- protesting is risky business. My business proudly supports causes like Black Lives Matter, Transgender Healthcare, Defunding the Police and more. But the risk of retaliation, especially in Texas, is real. However, this advocacy is not a choice, it is a matter of life. It is a matter of searching for equality- of painting a hopeful picture much bigger and more important than that which I can even fathom.
So I ask you this question; Is it a risk to desire existence?

I no longer find my family in small stuffed toys- I find my chosen family in queer community, in transgender children, and in each person who takes the risk of making a difference.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Sexton, I’m 27 years old and my pronouns are they/them. I am a transmasc nonbinary person, and I was born in Houston, Texas. I became a vegetarian when I was 14 years old, but always wanted to go vegan. I couldn’t because I LOVED cow cheese- SO MUCH! It was this problem that lead me to begin experimenting with making my own Cashew Cheese. I loved that it removed the cruelty of dairy, but it didn’t substitute on flavor. Creating a recipe for Cashew Cheese that melts, slices and shreds is how Peace Cheese was born!

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Yes! I discovered my love for vegan cooking when I backpacked around the world for 3 years. During that time I mostly traded cooking labor for a bed to sleep in. I found myself cooking vegan meals in Costa Rica, Hawaii, The Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. I learned so much from incredible vegan chefs, business owners, and friends.

When I returned to the U.S., I became an online English Teacher so that I could continue to travel- however, the pandemic struck, and my dreams to travel the world ended. While spending so much time at home, I began to experiment making my own cashew cheese, and trading it with friends who were baking their own bread, making homemade sushi, and more. My side hustle was gaining attention and eventually a food truck park took notice and invited me to vend at their popup shop! In mid- 2021 Peace Cheese LLC was born, and by January 2022, Peace Cheese was a booth at Barton Creek Farmer’s Market,

In the summer of 2022, I was awarded a Best Of Austin by the Austin Chronicle, which came as a big surprise and is one of my proudest accomplishments. I excitedly called my mom, “guess what mom! I’m in the paper!” Suddenly, lots of new people knew about my little vegan cheese shop.

As 2022 winds down, I reflect on the tremendous amount of growth my business has experienced, and look forward to more of the same! We hope to continue to wholesale our cheese to Austin restaurants who are looking to have an amazing, cheesey, melty vegan option and support a local, queer owned business!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Yes! People often comment on my social media presence and PR. Though I don’t have very many followers, my engagement and loyalty is high, and that is what matters. People will talk about things like hashtags, timing, etc but I think the most important thing is to be real. Social Media is so fake- but I run all my social media accounts myself, and often post videos of myself at work, just connecting with my audience person to person. I think people find my honesty refreshing, and I don’t know any other way to be!

Contact Info:

• Website: peacecheese.square.site
• Instagram: @peacecheese_
• Facebook: Peace Cheese ATX