Honoring Black History: Catching up with Peoria's Juneteenth Queens
Monet is currently pursuing a healthcare career.
'I currently work at a nursing home. I enjoy seeing them and seeing that I can make their day by the little things that I do,' she said. 'Healthcare is really easy. You just have to have a passion for it.'
Boyce runs a mentoring program called Sunflower Mentoring Services. The focus is to empower individuals through mentorship.
'Really focusing on finding our divine purpose in this world and learning to come together with other young women and embrace each other,' Boyce said.
2024 Miss Juneteenth Peoria Pageant Winners | Good Day Central Illinois
Monet and Boyce hold the inaugural titles for Peoria's Miss Juneteenth pageants. They have found their reign to be gratifying as they look to inspire people in their community.
'I'm a community servant at heart,' said Boyce. 'Just being able to use the Miss Juneteenth platform to bring awareness and to encourage younger individuals and middle-aged women to run for Miss Juneteenth.'
'Being the age that I am, I just want to be a role model to everyone around me. It's also helped me gain my confidence,' said the teen queen.
Applications for the 2025 Miss Juneteenth Pageant open on March 1.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Yahoo
How Lionel Boyce and Ayo Edebiri Wrote ‘The Bear' Season 4's Standout Episode
Lionel Boyce is almost surprisingly soft-spoken and mild-mannered, just like the quietly dedicated pastry chef he plays on The Bear. But Boyce swears he and Marcus Brooks are not that similar. With four seasons of playing the character under his belt — complete with a 2024 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor — he's quick to parse the nuances of where they overlap. 'Marcus is much more of a perfectionist than me,' Boyce clarifies over Zoom from Los Angeles. 'But being reliable and having people's backs is something we share.' More from Rolling Stone 'The Bear' Renewed For Season 5: Will Carmy Be Back? 'The Bear' Season 4 Finale Leaves Us With Plenty to Chew On 'The Bear' Season 4 Goes Big and Goes Small in Two Very Special Episodes. Both Work So when Boyce's co-star Ayo Edebiri, who plays Chef Sydney in the series, called him up one night with an idea for a new episode, Boyce stayed on the call, talking through his opinions, instincts, and honest thoughts on her plans. After the two hung up, he got a text from Edebiri asking him to co-write the episode. 'I ultimately said yes, but I was reluctant,' Boyce says. 'It was a scary thing to me, because even though I've written with friends and done my own things, I've never written on a show that was already on. I was like, 'This is a ship that's working. And I don't need to insert myself.' That's all I could think about.' What sold him? That mutual spirit he shares with Marcus, the same one that's made his character a fan favorite — being the gentle but steadfast voice of support in people's corners. The end result is the slow-moving yet captivating fourth episode of Season Four. Directed by Janicza Bravo (Zola), 'Worms' follows Sydney on a rare day off. Her hair isn't braided, she hasn't made a decision about whether to stay at The Bear or go work with chef Adam Shapiro on a new project, and reminder … her hair isn't braided. The long day ahead is only made longer when her braider and cousin Chantel (Danielle Deadwyler) runs out to buy more hair halfway through the process, leaving Sydney alone with her daughter TJ (Arion King) in a house empty of food. The episode is a humble (in all the best ways) slice-of-life snapshot — specifically, of Black life in a part of Chicago rarely shown in the series, which is otherwise hyperfocused on the Berzatto family on the city's north side. There's the tender way Sydney and TJ guide each other, first through a recipe, and then through upcoming big decisions (whether to attend a sleepover for one, whether to change jobs for the other). There's code switching, strict Black parenting, and plenty of jokes about just how long it takes to install a full head of box braids, giving another rare glimpse into Sydney's life outside of the chaotic kitchen. But the genius of 'Worms' also lies in how deftly Boyce and Edebiri lay out some of the most treasured and joyous parts of Black community onscreen without explaining them to death. The Bear is a show about all of the different ways a group of strangers can become family. 'Worms' turns that same silliness, banter, and heartwarming energy radical, by placing the Black home in a place of soft reverence. Boyce chatted with Rolling Stone about his first experience co-writing an episode, the timeless (and time-intensive) process of a hair day, and how Marcus is going to handle that crazy season finale. It's been almost two weeks since Season Four of premiered. How are you feeling? Like anything with creation, it's made in a bubble. You can have all these ideas before, but once it's out in the world, your ideas no longer matter, and it takes on a life of its own. It's organic. So it's cool seeing the things that people respond to, what's sticking out. It always goes back to the romantic things people put on the show. It's always expected, but I feel like this year it came back even stronger than it was in Season One. So I thought that was funny. Are you thinking of the loud and proud fans who think that Carmy and Syd should be in a romantic relationship, or the people who think Marcus and Chef Luca could give it a go? Oh, all of that. People will make fan edits. It's just funny how people have made up their minds, like, 'This is what should be.' Romance aside, this is the first season where you've co-written an episode. What made you interested in contributing in that way? I wanted to support Ayo, because I truly loved the idea and where it was going. It just seemed like so much fun. But it also just seemed like a different kind of challenge. That was enough of a reason for me to [try] my hand at it, because I hadn't done it before. I really enjoyed writing it with Ayo. It's just cool when you get to experience that with a friend. It's like playing tennis. Just back and forth and building on ideas — even the ones you discard, it's just functioning in a way that's so easy. What do you think audiences get when they see this day off for Syd that they wouldn't see in the kitchen? It's the exhale. Seeing how it looks for her to be relaxed. I think that came in large part from Janicza, Ayo, Danielle, and Arion. Getting everyone on board really brought it to life. [Chantel and TJ are] these pillars who have known Syd in such a different way than Carmy or anyone in the kitchen's known her. When anyone gets around family, they just exhale. And they slowly return to who you knew them as before they left home. Janicza Bravo has such a strong directorial voice. What was it like working with her for such a personal episode? We just wrote a road map. Once we finished the script, it was just a direction to point us in. I was like, 'You guys take this and continue to build from there.' [Bravo] brought so much warmth and color. Her decisions, her instincts, whether it was references or just the ideas with casting — it was always so graceful. It's one of her superpowers. She adds this layer of grace to anything. Whether you're playing Marcus or we're seeing you at a premiere, your aesthetic is pretty consistent, mostly sharp lineups and hats. But tell me a bit about how your own relationship with your hair intersected with what people saw onscreen. I have an aunt who's a beautician. She's owned beauty shops since I was a kid. So I think that's just a person you understand is a pillar in the community. Barbershops, beauty salons, they're third spaces. You see different people you know at different points of your life in there. The power of a haircut makes you feel invincible. You go in feeling on the fritz, and then you come out, you're like, 'Yeah, I can do anything. I can tackle this world.' Chantel, Syd's braider, is both her hairstylist and her actual family. What was it like to have Danielle Deadwyler bring her to life? The character [Chantel] is a close family member to Syd. You couldn't feel any more comfortable than being around this person. That was one of my favorite things that I think Danielle brought to it, where you saw this dynamic organically form. You see her busting Syd's balls a little bit, for fun. You could see that dynamic, like they're eight years old in the backyard, running around. I was personally grateful that Danielle was down to come on board and play such a funny character and show this other side that we don't see that often from the characters that she plays. She's just such a great actress. I was hanging out on set when they were filming and just getting to see take after take of different things she's doing. I'm like, 'Wow, she's really just a jazz player.' I also loved how time didn't seem to really exist in the episode, which I felt very keenly — mostly because I was braiding my hair while I was all know how long it is. I remember being a kid, like six years old, and I don't go to school that day because my mom got to get her hair braided. You get there at seven in the morning, and you're there all day at this person's house you don't know. You playing their son's Super Nintendo and like, 'What games they got?' Time and space don't exist. So if you've ever gone through the experience, you just know it takes a minute. It wouldn't be if there weren't a cooking scene — and that sort of nostalgia continues when Syd shows TJ how to jazz up Hamburger Helper. What's your version of that instant-comfort nostalgia food?Low-key, Hamburger Helper. The beef stroganoff one, or the mac and cheese one. That's what I was living with. There's such a specific time where that ruled the world. Like, Nineties to early 2000s. And when you're really young, you get mad, like, 'Oh, we gotta eat this?' And then as you get older, it's like, 'No, I want that. That's what I'm looking for.' When's the last time you had it? I haven't had it in years. Every once in a while I'll think about it, like, 'It'd be good to get it.' but I don't want to make it. It's, like, got to be made by my mom, because I know it's not gonna be the same. It's like boxed yellow cake. I love it, and I can make it all alone. But there's something she does to it. Or maybe it's just the fact that she makes it. Is your dynamic with Ayo as co-stars different from your dynamic as co-writers? When we started doing this show, I was like, 'This is cool. I feel like we're on the same wavelength.' I feel that way about pretty much everyone who collaborates on the show, like the writers, the actors, even behind the cameras, it's such a tight-knit family. But with Ayo, we had a lot of friends in common. It's no different than Tyler [the Creator, Boyce's former bandmate in Odd Future] or any of my friends who I collaborate with. Having a professional community, you have friends that you want to work with and always just feel like, 'I respect and admire your work, and we don't even know we don't know each other.' So I think having that thing and you just also can be stupid together, it just made it so much more fun. Do you think that friendship and connection changes the final product for the better? It's funny. With creative people, it's sensitive. A lot of their time is trying to feel something out before they jump in. So when you have a shorthand with someone you already feel comfortable with, you can just get right into it. It just becomes much more of a singular voice when you have that shorthand. Because it's like we speak the same language. I love the mention of creativity, because one of the moments I found so pivotal in the season is in Episode Seven, when everyone crawls under the table at the wedding and goes around sharing their fears. Marcus says his fear is 'running out of creativity.' Is that something you found yourself relating to? That's a fear of mine. You've tapped the well and you're like, 'Is this it? Was this thing I did the last time I have it in me?' It's a fear of running out of passion. Where you feel like a hack or you're rehashing ideas or whatever. Fears are things you can't control. As long as you want to be open and let things in, you'll always have a well that doesn't run dry. But it is a fear. It's a fear of disconnection to me. 'Will I just close myself off to the world and let nothing else in?' Well, if disconnection is the fear, and this episode is an example of you being connected with friends, with collaborators, what was most exciting or joyful about actually watching the finished product?As I watched it, I texted Ayo because I was so impressed with Arion. That was the thing, when we wrote it, Chris [Storer, creator and showrunner of The Bear] was like, 'Yeah, I love it, but you gotta find a great kid.' Jeanie Bacharach, who's the casting director, and everyone did such a good job at finding Arion. Because that relationship is a tentpole of this episode, and you'd see it unfold. Watching it, it felt lived-in, and it reminded me of my sister in ways. I loved the moment when we get to the house and Syd's getting her hair done and Chantel is like, 'Where's the hair upstairs?' And Arion goes, 'There ain't none. Damn!' And it just holds on everyone's face. You don't have to explain it. Everyone understands and it's such a universal thing. I love that moment. In this episode alone, you get Arion as the scene-stealing newcomer, and two standout voices with Deadwyler and Bravo. At this point, people know to expect starry cameos from . So for you, was there a favorite of the season? Jamie Lee Curtis. Even though she's already been in it and doesn't count as a new one, all of her scenes were incredible. And Rob Reiner. I didn't get to meet him, but watching his scenes with Ebraheim [Edwin Lee Gibson] was so cool. I loved seeing his arc this season. The charts! Ebraheim was not fucking around. Yeah, he came in ready to handle business. Being on a show all about food also means the joy of some pretty gorgeous prop foods and the pain of plenty of desserts that you can't eat because they're fake. But sometimes there's a sweet treat for you in return. What's the most delicious thing you had on set this season? It wasn't even made for shooting! I'd sent this video I'd found on Instagram of someone making a cinnamon focaccia to [The Bear culinary director] Courtney Storer. She's like, 'Someone else just actually sent me that. We got the kitchen here — let's make it.' That was delicious. Marcus has also had a pretty incredible and skyrocketing arc through this most recent season, being named as one of 's best new chefs in America. What do you think it does for him emotionally at the end of the season to receive that recognition at the same time that his mentor, Carmy — the person who challenged him creatively — is planning on leaving? That's a good question. In that moment he wins, and he looks around, he's like, 'Yeah, winning the award is cool. But getting to share it with this group of people is the thing.' That's why I'm curious. I always say I'm a fan first of this show. So I have all of the same thoughts that other people do. Like, 'How does this affect things?' You build something out of pure passion, and then you step away from the thing you build — what happens? I want to see the scripts for Season Five, because I'm curious, too! Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century Solve the daily Crossword
Chicago Tribune
25-06-2025
- Chicago Tribune
‘The Bear' Q&A: Lionel Boyce dishes on what it takes to play pastry chef Marcus
Before filming Season 1 of the FX hit 'The Bear,' actor Lionel Boyce was sent to stage at Elske in Chicago's West Loop. In preparation for his role as Marcus, breadmaker for The Original Beef of Chicagoland and soon-to-be budding pastry chef when the restaurant reopens as its titular name in Season 3, Boyce was tasked with learning from real-world chefs to emulate one on camera. Boyce said it was easier to stage (culinary lingo for 'intern') back when the actors could more easily fly under the radar. But that didn't always work in everyone's favor, he laughed. 'The funny thing is, before the show came out, we were just regular people asking for favors, like, 'Hey, can this person come in here and stage and get a sense of what you do?' The show didn't matter because it didn't exist,' Boyce told the Tribune. 'One day (at Elske), I think someone thought I was a new sous chef coming in to start and they asked me to prep some cheese dish. And I was too nervous to say I don't know what I'm doing, so I just went rogue and started cutting up this cheese. I think the only question I asked was 'so how do you do it? Is there a specific way?' And they were like 'No, no, you know — just do it.'' Boyce, cackling at the 'embarrassing' experience he'll never forget, said he started cutting the cheese. 'Then when they were getting ready for service, I remember one of the chefs who brought mine up, opened one, and then closed it … opened another one, and he made a face. And then he looks over at another chef and they whisper to each other, all worried,' Boyce said. 'Then they start rushing to redo it because I clearly ruined whatever cheese dish that was for. I just felt like a dog that peed in the house. I just put my ears down. I was so sorry.' Much like his character, Boyce is mild-mannered, kind and effortlessly funny. He spoke with enthusiasm and thoughtful detail about his training as an actor to portray a pastry chef, staging at restaurants and learning skills and techniques to help launch him into new heights. For Boyce, something shifted when filming 'Honeydew,' a standout episode in Season 2, when Marcus travels to Copenhagen to stage with a pastry chef at a high-end restaurant that closely resembles the three-Michelin-starred, but now-defunct, Noma. He's tasked with creating three desserts for The Bear's menu, as the sandwich shop transforms into a fine dining restaurant. At this point in the show, Marcus is just about the only calm person amid the clutter of the kitchen, and Boyce looks at the episode like a release of tension. While the Copenhagen kitchen scenes in 'Honeydew' were shot at Chicago's After, the sister bar to Michelin-starred Ever, Boyce did spend time in Amsterdam strolling the streets, much like his character. In one scene, Marcus is being trained by London-born pastry chef Luca (played by Will Poulter), and gets asked: 'You ever made ice cream before, chef?' Marcus says no. 'Want to?' A pleasing sequence shows Marcus separating eggs and splitting open a vanilla bean before Luca shows him how to perfect a , an elegant football-shaped three-sided scoop of ice cream. 'Away and back,' Luca says to Marcus, with a quick flair and movement difficult to imitate. In real life, Boyce actually learned how to scoop a quenelle when staging at Elske for Season 1. (Yes, they kept him around after the cheese debacle.) 'When they were talking to me, it felt like a foreign language,' Boyce said. 'They're like, this is a cool thing you can learn. But it seemed like the hardest thing in the world.' Boyce said he spent a considerable time practicing so he could pull it off when filming the episode directed by Ramy Youssef. 'Me and Will had a funny joke, because by the time we were filming, I'd been doing it so much, I got good at it, and so I was showing him — He's like, 'this is ridiculous. We're going to get on camera, and you're going to be looking better than me. I'm supposed to be the pro!'' Boyce laughed. That Marcus-focused episode was a turning point for the character, who Boyce describes as 'a cog in the wheel of this whole machine' that is the messy restaurant where there's never enough time on the clock. Boyce is now a breakout star with a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, an outstanding supporting actor Emmy nod and an authenticity that's just so cool. With all 10 episodes of Season 4 streaming on Hulu and Disney+ Wednesday, Boyce said he's excited for viewers to see a 'new level unlocked' for Marcus, whose ambition and growth is further explored. The Tribune spoke with Boyce ahead of the new season, which includes an episode he wrote with actress Ayo Edebri, who plays Sydney Adamu. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Q: Before playing Marcus, how would you have described your baking/pastry skills? A: Before the character, I was solely on the receiving end. I didn't really cook, aside from making the basics that you make for yourself just to survive. I never appreciated food. So this was a cool entry point for me because it's what the character journey is about. He kind of starts like me — it's just a job for him, and it's not a passion yet, and through the course of the show, it turns into a passion and dreams and all these things. It was cool because the more he learns, the more I need to know. Q: For each season of 'The Bear,' you undergo specific culinary training with different chefs and the show's culinary producer, Courtney Storer. When you look back at all of those experiences, what stands out to you? A: I do have more of an appreciation and understanding of what restaurant workers and chefs go through, and as I've gotten to learn and work with different people and learn in different ways, it just felt like it's mirroring Marcus' journey. For Season 1, I staged at a bakery and got a feel of how a bakery is different from a kitchen — talking to a lot of chefs who are working there, they feel like you retire from the kitchen and you work here because it's the urgency, without the intensity of working in a kitchen. Season 2, I worked solely with Courtney and it was more hands-on, making things I was interested in and types of bread and dessert recipes. And Seasons 3 and 4, I worked with Courtney as well as Malcolm Livingston, who is this incredible pastry chef. He's worked around the world. He helped me get to the next level of efficiency and perfection. Baking was always presented to me as a science. It's intimidating and you're following exact rules — but he opened it up, and said no, it's as artistic as cooking is. It's just showing you where the guardrails are, what things need to be exact, and where you could be free. Q: Do the actors who play chefs still stage at restaurants four seasons in? A: We don't really stage anymore now, because I think it'd be too distracting. And because we have such a great culinary department, we just work with them now. I think being in a restaurant is great for a couple of days to see the environment, the feeling, but after a while, you need to get out of the way, because this is their day-to-day and they have to produce at a certain level. Q: Was the Copenhagen episode as transformational for you as it was for Marcus? As a viewer, it's therapeutic to watch because everything else has been so chaotic at the restaurant — everything's on fire, but you're here walking the cobblestone streets and taking pictures and writing out recipes. A: I think that's the cool thing about all these bottle episodes throughout the show. It feels like an interlude on one hand, and on the other hand, it feels like it's expanding on what you get from this character, and it magnifies it. And for me, it's like in life where when you go on a vacation for two weeks anywhere, you have all these new thoughts and feel like you've transformed, and then you drop back into your real life, and you're like, 'Oh yeah, I'm still the same person, but with this new experience' — it's like morphing. It's not quite who you were before or who you were when you were away, but it's something new. I got all these new thoughts from an acting standpoint, things to care about, consider, and you bring all that and put that back into the machine as a cog and it runs more efficiently. Q: It's stressful watching those scenes where it's down to the wire, clock ticking loudly and everybody's yelling at each other. When filming, do you guys feel that tense, nervous energy? A: I think it's not as stressful as watching it, because sound design, music and editing can intensify things even more. And some things are all choreography … more of a rhythm and a dance and you're in unison with the camera. Q: How about cooking or creating a dish while the cameras are rolling? A: With the cooking stuff, you do feel a certain level of intensity, because we shoot it in a real working kitchen or a stage that's designed as a working kitchen. We're actually finishing dishes (on camera). It's like three-quarters done, but you're finishing on camera, so you still get to smell the food, hear the sounds and all that visual and auditory stimuli I think heightens it for us. Q: There is a lot of hometown love for Chicago viewers. Any favorite neighborhoods to visit while you're filming? A: I like going around different parts — Lincoln Park, Old Town, Fulton Market. I like the walkability of Chicago too. Sometimes I'd rent a car on the weekends and just drive to different suburbs. I went to Milwaukee for the first time this year. I had some time off, and I thought, 'Oh, this is a cool drive.' Q: Any restaurants, bakeries that you love? A: I'm trying to remember right now — there's so many — Doma is one I go to a lot. Shaw's Crab House. I love the buffalo shrimp. There's Kasama, the breakfast sandwich and they have great pastries. They have that crazy line, but sometimes it's worth it. Yeah, I'm racking my brain. As soon as we hang up, I know I'm going to be like, 'oh, there's all the places that I wish I would have said.' TV for summer 2025: 15 shows coming up, including the return of 'The Bear'
Tom's Guide
19-06-2025
- Tom's Guide
Celebrate Juneteenth by streaming this must-see Netflix drama with 99% on Rotten Tomatoes
From "Miss Congeniality" to "Little Miss Sunshine" to "Drop Dead Gorgeous", the competitive world of beauty pageants has been explored numerous times on film, but one of the best is "Miss Juneteenth," a Southern drama that sees a former beauty queen and single mom prepare her rebellious teenage daughter for a local pageant in Texas. But where other movies have focused on the silliness and superficiality of the pageant circuit, the 2020 title — which was written and directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples ("Queen Sugar") in her feature film directorial debut — is a thought-provoking, character-driven watch that digs into hefty topics, from racism to motherhood to the meaning of freedom, all guided by two great lead performances by Nicole Beharie and Alexis Chikaeze. "Miss Juneteenth" is available to stream on Netflix, as part of the streaming service's ever-changing selection of movies and TV shows. And here's why you should celebrate Juneteenth with this moving drama. In "Miss Juneteenth", Nicole Beharie stars as Turquoise Jones, a single mother in a suburb of Fort Worth, Texas. She is the former winner of the local Miss Juneteenth pageant, which offers a full scholarship to a historically black college. However, her own education was derailed by the birth of her now 15-year-old daughter Kai (Alexis Chikaeze), which forced Turquoise to drop out of college and for a time to work as a stripper. Seeking a better life for her daughter, Turquoise enters Kai into the same Miss Juneteenth contest, despite the teen girl's lack of enthusiasm for the pageant life and her own personal passions to pursue dance. Mother and daughter simultaneously butt heads but also get closer as they navigate deferred dreams and differing aspirations in this heartfelt multigeneration tale. Along with offering up one of the most believable mother-daughter relationships on screen in recent years, "Miss Juneteenth" paints a vivid, authentic picture of Black life in Fort Worth, Texas. Writer-director Channing Godfrey Peoples personally drew upon her own hometown, her childhood and her life experiences to create the character of Turquoise. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. The drama currently has a near-perfect 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's critical consensus reading: "Like a pageant winner walking across the stage, 'Miss Juneteenth' follows a familiar path – but does so with charm and grace." Nicole Beharie received a Gotham Award for Best Actress and David Rooney at The Hollywood Reporter praised the star for the "natural luminosity" and "radiant warmth" she brings to her scenes Writing for The New York Times, Lovia Gyarkye highlighted film's thoughtful handling of its various themes, "from the significance of Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, to the legacy of racism in predatory bank lending practices. But what's most impressive is the amount of space Peoples's black female characters inhabit in the narrative." This Juneteenth, let the film be a powerful reminder of both the struggles and the enduring spirit of freedom. Watch "Miss Juneteenth" on Netflix now
