High Drag: Kim Chi & Sundae School’s Queer Asian Gummy Collab Brings the Heat for Lunar New Year

Every Lunar New Year, the streets of my San Francisco neighborhood erupt in firecrackers, and the pounding rhythm of drum lines as lion dancers weave through the storefronts, bestowing luck upon every small business. In the thick of February, no matter where you fall in the East Asian diaspora, the new year is a time for tradition, transformation, and a whole lot of feasting. And this year, Year of the Snake, a new kind of celebration is slithering into the mix: Kim Chi Yuzu, a limited-edition cannabis gummy collaboration between Sundae School and drag icon Kim Chi.

AAPI-owned and deeply aesthetic, Sundae School is more a lifestyle statement than just a cannabis brand — Think somewhere between vintage American Apparel and Essentials, blending high-quality THC with streetwear sensibilities and a vision that embraces Asian identity in its fullest, most contemporary form.

Their latest drop? A spicy-sweet edible that fuses the bold umami of kimchi powder with the bright, citrusy pop of yuzu. Unexpected? Maybe. Groundbreaking? Absolutely. And at the center of it all is Kim Chi — RuPaul’s Drag Race alum, beauty mogul, and now, unlikely cannabis connoisseur.

From Ahjumma to Matriarch: Kim Chi’s Evolution

Sundae School’s “Kim Chi Over Flowers” campaign takes us on a campy, comic-inspired journey that reimagines Kim Chi in a vintage K-drama fever dream — from an ahjumma (auntie) perfecting her kimchi craft to a powerful yuzu matriarch. The visuals are bold, dramatic, and utterly unhinged in the best way, dripping in kitschy typography, saturated colors, and that signature dose of Asian nostalgia. It’s a celebration of heritage that doesn’t take itself too seriously, much like Kim Chi herself.

When I met Kim Chi for this interview, I was surprised to see her in “boy mode” — plain white hoodie, no-name baseball cap, soft-spoken, demure, and almost shy, a stark contrast from the razor-sharp eyeliner and hyper-stylized drag persona that launched her into international fame. But even out of makeup, she commanded the room with her careful words, gentle candor, and a thoughtfulness that made every answer feel like a revelation.

“I’ve followed Sundae School for years,” Kim Chi tells me, explaining how the collab came to be. “They’re more than just a cannabis brand — They create cool streetwear and cultural touch points that reflect our generation. When I met their team, I knew immediately that I wanted to work with them.”

This isn’t Kim Chi’s first foray into business. A favorite from Drag Race’s earlier seasons, she quickly capitalized on her insane makeup skills by launching KimChi Chic Beauty, a wildly successful cosmetics line. But what makes Kim Chi Yuzu particularly special is the modernization of two things long stigmatized in Asian communities: queerness and cannabis.

Cannabis, Queerness, and Breaking the Stigma

For many traditional Asian households, drag, queerness, and cannabis use are taboo — a trifecta of disapproval from conservative elders and religious family members. Kim Chi is no stranger to that reality. “Even when my mom was going through cancer, I suggested marijuana for relief, and she immediately shut it down,” she recalls. “For a lot of older Koreans, cannabis is still viewed like heroin.” But times are changing, and collaborations like Kim Chi Yuzu are part of that cultural shift.

Sundae School has built its brand on redefining cannabis through an Asian lens, offering products that blend quality with cultural storytelling. The 10mg Kim Chi Yuzu gummy is crafted with a hand-poured tapioca base, giving it that chewy, bouncy, juicy texture, while the kimchi powder dusting adds a fiery umami kick that mellows into a sweet citrus aftertaste.

“It took a lot of trial and error,” explains Corinne, of Sundae School. “Kimchi is a tricky flavor to balance in an edible. We freeze-dried the powder and coated it on our bestselling yuzu gummy, so it has a layered experience — first umami and heat, then a tangy citrus finish.”

The gummy is unexpected, but it works — much like the collaboration itself. At the heart of Kim Chi Yuzu is the idea that Asian identity is not monolithic. It’s expansive, it’s innovative, and yes, it can include cannabis.

Drag, Food, and the Evolution of Culture

If you think about it, drag and food have a lot in common. Both are deeply personal. Both are polarizing. And everyone has an opinion on them, whether they’re qualified or not.

“I love taking things that people feel strongly about and intersecting them,” Kim Chi says. “Drag, food, queerness, cannabis — these things all have history; they all tell a story, and they all evolve.”

She’s not wrong. When Kim Chi first started performing in nightclubs, K-pop wasn’t mainstream in America, and Korean drag wasn’t a thing. Now? She’s quite literally forced people to get familiar. “When I started doing drag, nobody knew who 2NE1 was. I’d perform their songs, and people had no idea what they were hearing. Now, K-pop is everywhere.”

Her choice to use her stage name Kim Chi wasn’t accidental. Kimchi — the food — has been a staple of Korean cuisine for centuries, its fermentation process dating back to ancient times. Its flavor is bold, unapologetic, and entirely its own, much like the queen herself. And just as kimchi has become an international delicacy, Kim Chi the performer has become a global force.

A Lunar New Year Celebration, With a Side of Edibles

The Kim Chi Yuzu gummy drop is a Lunar New Year exclusive, and it’s as much a fun product as it is a cultural statement. As part of the launch, a portion of proceeds will go toward wildfire relief efforts in California, continuing the tradition of giving back to the community while breaking new ground.

For anyone celebrating the new year — whether you’re lighting incense at a family altar or trying not to get too crossfaded before dinner — there’s something undeniably fitting about the pairing of heat, sweetness, and transformation in this collab. It’s a little unexpected, a little bit extra, and entirely fabulous. Just like Kim Chi.

Kim Chi Yuzu gummies are available now at Sundae Flowers for a limited time. Follow Kim Chi at kimchithequeen.com, and check out KimChi Chic Beauty at kimchichicbeauty.com.