Miss Universe celebrates return home
As Miss Universe 2022 returned to Houston for her homecoming party, she took time to show her fans her favorite parts of the city, including, of course, its food.
After her victory in January, R’Bonney Gabriel’s Miss Universe duties have taken her from the East Coast to southeast Asia to attend celebration galas and meet with young women and girls. On Saturday, she returned to Houston and celebrated with a homecoming party at the Hilton Houston Post Oak by the Galleria.
But before that, she took a tour around the city and shared videos of her favorite stops on social media.
The former Miss Texas started her day with a charcoal latte from Brass Tacks, one of her favorite Houston coffee shops, she told fans via an Instagram story. Then she showed off the tacos at La Reynera, sharing her love for their flour tortillas.
Prior to winning Miss Universe, Gabriel was the lead sewing instructor at Magpies & Peacocks, a nonprofit sustainable fashion house located in EaDo, and throughout her competition journey she shared her passion for sustainable clothing design.
For her third and fourth stops of the day, she shared two places she goes to find sustainable supplies for her clothing: the Texas Art Asylum, a second-hand arts and crafts store, and a local Goodwill, where Gabriel said she shops to find pieces to upcycle and redesign.
At her homecoming party, Gabriel posed for photos with fans as well as her father, who immigrated from the Philippines when he was 19. Gabriel made history last year as the first Filipina American to win Miss Texas as well as the first to win Miss USA. In a speech, she told attendees that her victory for both the U.S. and for representation.
“It was a win for all Asian Americans, Filipino Americans and just anybody that goes after something that is such a big dream,” Gabriel said.