In Toledo, everybody loves Sweet Tea with Sugar. We’re talking, of course, about the legendary Sugar Vermonte who has the number one new podcast in Toledo. Vermonte had already been a successful drag performer in the Toledo/Michigan area when she branched out with her own food truck, “Maybe Cheese Born with It.” In between touring with her drag show and creating heavenly Mac and Cheese, what’s a girl to do but start her own podcast and dish on some of the hottest topics with interesting guests? Vermonte’s podcast both is and isn’t what you might expect— in a good way.
“I just had to outthink and out work everybody, and that’s what it’s been my whole life.”
Vermonte’s food truck business came together during the pandemic. “I took my stimulus check and bought a $300 mini-camper and some pink paint and went to town!” It took off so quickly that I was asked on Food Network within a few months. That was an experience! I was up against teams who’d won awards and had decades of experience. I just had to outthink and out work everybody, and that’s what it’s been my whole life.” So Vermonte actually had to learn the ropes of running a business in front of the nation. The food truck is like a Chipotle set up but with Mac and Cheese as the base and added toppings. Add some pesto with balsamic drizzle and you’ve got “The Pesto Both Worlds.” Add chicken and bacon and you’ve got “Don’t Go Bacon My Heart.” She notes that Mac & Cheese is the ultimate comfort food and a great way to spread love.
The most important ingredient in Vermonte’s success has been the guts to go for it, and put herself out there, as she says, warts and all. Post Food Network, Vermonte pivoted her drag show to raise money for causes she cares about, like healthcare— a cause that is close to her heart having lost a father at 14 years old leaving a grieving mom with overwhelming bills. Last year she was a “Visionary of the Year” candidate for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She does Dolly Parton brunches that raise money for the LLS, Drag Queen Bingo, and more. Dolly Parton is a huge influence for Vermonte, “She has a wide spectrum of appeal, which is what I aim for. I really don’t want to judge anyone else because I know I don’t want to be judged.
Let’s Talk!
“I’ve always been a talker and I’ve always had strong opinions,” says Vermonte, “and I thought, let’s take a shot and the podcast just took off immediately and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.” At only a month old, she has the number one new podcast in Toledo which she dubbed Sweet Tea with Sugar. The show includes a rotating cast of characters every week along with guests like local business owners.
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Vermonte is looking for differing points of view. “I love it when someone disagrees with me intelligently,” she says. “The ability to disagree and talk about different viewpoints like adults is a lost skill in America and, lord, I’m trying to bring it back.” In fact, being okay with disagreeing has become a running theme of her podcast already. “Too often we pick a side and learn our lines and just repeat them back at each other. When there’s a new news story, people wait to hear what their lines are and they repeat it to each other and we’re talking AT each other— which gets us nowhere.”
We Can Unite
Vermonte emphasizes that we are more have more in common than we think, but division is where we lose power. “Both side of the general public think they’re fighting against each other for things like healthcare,” she says, “but it could be a unifying issue. We all want the same thing, but you can only push a populace so far, and with this Luigi Mangione case, we’ve seen just how far.” Her politics lie somewhere between Dolly Parton and Bernie Sanders— two people she’d love to have as guests. “As long as someone has a strong opinion and original thought, I’d like to talk to them. But she’d also like interview Donald Trump. “I get a lot of flak for that. When I’ve criticized my own party, I’ve gotten more vitriol from the left than the right.” Vermonte strongly emphasizes that we are all in it together and we’re all trying to do the right thing. “We’ve just gotta bring down the barriers and talk.”
You can listen to Sweet Tea with Sugar anywhere you get podcasts (Amazon, Spotify, iHeart radio). A new episode drops every week.
