Food & Fatherhood: A Gay Latino Dad in the Kitchen

Jesús Zambrano is showing the world that gay, Latino dads can create loving, nurturing homes for their children.

“Being gay doesn’t limit you to anything in life,” Jesús says. “A gay couple can have kids and have a regular family like everyone else.”

In the latest episode of Latino Alternative Storytellers, we step into the kitchen of food blogger Jesús Zambrano, where we find him, donning an apron and a smile, cooking up breakfast burritos for the family. One daughter is propped up on the counter, swinging her legs, watching her daddy cook. Across the room, framed by baskets of fresh fruit, Jesús’s husband sits with their other daughter, keeping each other company while they await breakfast. This is the scene most mornings; a family prepares for the day ahead.

Jesús (left) with his husband and two eldest daughters

Jesús was born and raised in the Los Angeles area to Latino parents who always told him that anything was possible if you had a mission and the determination to work for it.

“I come from a very happy family. My parents have been married for almost 40 years,” Jesus reflects.

Growing up, Jesús and the whole family would spend the weekends together going to new restaurants and trying new dishes. When Jesus thinks about it, food is a common thread in all of his most joyous memories—and that’s why he has a soft spot for the culinary arts.

When he turned 18, he came out as gay. Shortly thereafter, he met his husband.

The support from his family came in phases. His father was the first to accept him, to love him exactly the way he is. His mom’s acceptance came a little bit later. Now, married with five children, being gay is small detail in a beautiful, dynamic picture of Jesús and his loving Latino family in Los Angeles.

“I never thought I was going to be a dad, just because in the gay community, it’s not that common,” Jesús says. “We’re always seen as something else. Sometimes we’re made to feel like we don’t belong. Now, having a kid [and] going through the process, you [can] think, ‘Oh I might get rejected. I’m not good enough because I don’t have a partner of the opposite sex.’ But the real truth is, like my family has always taught me: [if] you have a goal, [if] you have a mission, you can accomplish it.”

As Jesús expertly slides eggs into warmed tortillas for his husband and two eldest daughters, it seems easy—the life he has created here. But the path is not without fallen branches.

Being a gay parent, Jesús knows that he’s looked at differently. The opportunities available for his family aren’t always the same as those for heteronormative families.

“I grew up in church. I grew up knowing about God, and that’s something I’d love to implement [for] my children” Jesús says, “but it’s hard, because in a Latino church, they don’t really accept gay [people].”

Jesús occasionally faces misunderstandings at school, as well. Teachers and staff tend to assume that his children also have a mom and are surprised when they find out that in this family there are two dads.

“It should never be different, the fact that someone has two dads, or two moms, or just one mom, or just one dad. You have someone who loves you; that should be enough,” Jesús says.

When he’s not focused on his children, Jesús makes food videos on his social media pages, where he has over half a million followers. Check out his segment of Latino Alternative Storytellers to get to know Jesús even better.