35 year-old Ambrosia Salad is an entertainer, party promoter, artist and DJ who has spent a lifetime idolizing strong female singers such as Bjork, Shirley Manson, Siouxsie Sioux, and Lady Miss Kier. When she’s not touring the country, she’s performing inside the Pink Triangle of DTLA.
Born in Santa Cruz County, California, Ambrosia grew up on a strawberry farm next to the ocean in a small harbor town called Moss Landing, 2 hours south of San Francisco, but ended up moving to San Francisco in 2001.
Ambrosia spent her mid-twenties heavily inspired by the performances enjoyed at Trannyshack, a weekly drag venue in San Francisco known for its outlandishly crass divas and thoughtfully planned out diva homage, involving elaborate sets, back up dancers, costume, hair and makeup design, and fierce lip synching to everything 80s.
As a performance artist, Ambrosia was surrounded by drag queens transforming and transcending themselves into the world of take no prisoners debauchery. What started as a wig and high heels fetish, evolved into the perfect combination incorporating all she loved; fashion, film, photography, performance, music, and nightlife.
Her childhood dreams coming true, Ambrosia has shared the stage with most of the drag queens she admires, like Heklina, Glamamore, and Peaches Christ.
Then she would later DJ entering the realm of her heros, Horse Meat Disco from London and Honey Soundsystem, among others at dozens of nightclubs and private parties with her friends, and Pride Fest across the gaytion
“My favorite kind of people are my friends. The people who have made it into my chosen family, My like minded fellow artists…you know, us starving, creative types! It’s always healthy to surround yourself with those who constantly inspire and challenge you. And I always gotta be around people that make me laugh.”
Ambrosia stays busy with charitable works; recently performing for several charities, in both San Francisco and LA that benefit AIDS research. Last summer she helped raised money for the purchase of 100 dresses for girls to wear to their high school proms.
Ambrosia plans to travel in the near future. Just coming back from Provincetown, Massachusetts, and in October she will be making her annual trip to Atlanta for their Pride fest, but for now you can find Ambrosia every Saturday (usually out of drag) at Bar Mattachine in downtown for Salad Saturdays. It’s a weekly party that she DJs at. There’s always a queen hostess that performs at midnight.
Last year, within a matter of 6 months, Downtown spawned 3 new gay bars, PRECINCT, MATTACHINE and REDLINE, also known as the PINK TRIANGLE. Together those new establishments created, not just opportunity for queer artists, but also a safe haven for the gay community, and together they are producing DTLA’s first Gay Pride Fest, PROUD DTLA, coming to Pershing Square, August 7th.
“Right now is such a rich and vibrant time to be alive. Despite all of the troublesome things happening in the world and even in our country, it’s a very progressive time for queer people. The visibility is stronger more now than ever.”
“Young children are much more free to express themselves and be who they feel they truly are. And even though we have mourned some tragedies recently, I feel like it has brought the community even closer, throughout the country.
To those of us that have been through life and survived, be a mentor and a teacher to the young ones coming up. And to all of you young angels, just keep shining those colors.
There is a community that exists. And quite honestly, we are the cuter, fiercer, more creative, way more interesting bunch of people on the planet. Be proud of that!” said Ambrosia.
