Bun B and Queenie, the First Couple of Houston, Share Their Valentine’s Day Shopping List

Rap legend Bun B and his wife, Queenie, the Houston supercouple whose Trill Burgers won Good Morning America’s award for best burger spot in America, have been married for more than twenty years. That means two decades of Valentine’s Day celebrations and gifts—some extravagant, some sweet, and some, as Bun says, “that can’t be talked about.”

There was that time he filled her room with hundreds of roses. “It was a grand gesture, and she appreciated it,” says Bun, whose conversation regularly veers back to the many things he loves about Queenie. “But then she was sad they were all going to die. So she took the leftover roses to the nursing home and gave them to elderly people. . . . She’s a deeply thoughtful person.”

“And now he’s not allowed to buy me flowers unless it’s the entire plant,” says Queenie. “So I can plant it in the yard.”

And then there was the time Queenie, after watching Bun B play the game Guitar Hero with his nephews, decided to buy him an actual guitar so he could play the real thing. “It was such a kind gift,” he says, “but I was like, ‘Baby, I don’t know how to play guitar.’ ”

For Valentine’s Day this year, Queenie and Bun don’t have big plans because, as Bun says, “I go out of my way to make Queenie feel loved every day, and she does the same. So Valentine’s is just another day—which is sweet in itself.” And what they want for Valentine’s Day more than anything, they report, is “a better world.” That said, there are a few favorite items the two have on their wish lists this February.

CharcuterieboardHTX

This year, Bun says the couple will “relax, and we’ll laugh about all the stuff that we used to do at Valentine’s.” Queenie will make Bun’s favorite dinner of meat and potatoes, but Bun will be pitching in with a Valentine’s charcuterie he’s ordered from CharcuterieboardHTX. Carolina Aguilar, who launched this Houston business in 2021, crafts lavish charcuterie trays so rich in color and texture that they cross the line between art and food. On vacation in Spain, Aguilar fell in love with manchego, the country’s celebrated sheep’s milk cheese. Back home, she began making elaborate charcuterie boards with manchego and other favorite cheeses (one go-to is a blueberry vanilla goat cheese from Trader Joe’s), fruits, and salami she folds into roses like an origami master. They became so popular that she turned her hobby into a business, and she will open a brick-and-mortar location in late 2024.

Simply Scents Candles

Queenie, a.k.a. Angela Walls, whose stately presence befits her nickname, is what some might call a supersmeller. “Her olfactory palate is so clean,” says Bun. “She has such a deeper appreciation of scents because she can smell all the notes. Same with food—she can detect all the flavors and different ingredients. It’s crazy.”

One way Queenie indulges her heightened sense of smell is to fill the couple’s home with the aromas of Simply Scents, a Houston candle and scented oil company owned by Air Force veteran and Houston native Shanquita Greggs.

“I’m so into these candles,” says Queenie. “She [Greggs] is especially good with scents of vanilla and crème brûlée. Oh my, they smell so good.”

“Her candles are intensely fragrant but not overwhelming,” Bun adds. “They work a room very well.”

Alexandria II by Xerjoff and Le Labo Santal 33

Queenie is passionate about perfumes and, like a sommelier, is tuned in to the complexities that evade the average nose. To keep themselves sane during the COVID lockdown, she and Bun took a deep dive into what they call layering. “You’ll have two different colognes or perfumes that you would wear where the different notes give a balance,” explains Queenie. “So you’ll give two sprays of this because it’s fresh and airy, and then two sprays of something else to give it a little smoky contrast.”

Currently, Queenie is in love with Alexandria II by Xerjoff, a fragrance she discovered in the shop of a Mexican airport when she and Bun were traveling on vacation. (Now that they’re empty nesters, Bun’s hobby is hotels: “If I find a new hotel, we’ll just jump up and leave on a Tuesday for no reason.”) But Queenie says the earthy Le Labo Santal 33 is her personal signature scent. “I love it because it can’t be mimicked. There are a lot of people trying to copy it, but it never smells just like it. It’s so delicious.”

“Year of the Dragon” Jeans and “Kenzo by Verdy” Oversized Hoodie, by Kenzo

Even though they’ll be staying in this Valentine’s, they’ll be looking good. Bun B loves this bold printed hoodie and these straight-leg jeans from the Year of the Dragon line by Kenzo, his favorite clothing line at the moment. He opts for darker shades because, he admits, he’s messy. “I generally wear dark colors because no matter how hard I try, I spill things on my clothes. I can’t explain it.” He first fell for Kenzo when he bought one of the brand’s shirts for a birthday trip with Queenie. “I’d just lost a little weight, and it fit well, and I loved it.”

Fox Top and Fur-Printed Jeans by Area

While she has other favorite brands—Alexander McQueen, the Attico, Tom Ford—Queenie’s go-to brand right now is Area. “I love their pants-and-top combos, and I have one that I’m wearing for Valentine’s Day.” Although she and Bun won’t be out on the town, Queenie will be dolled up in this ubersexy denim crop top shaped like a fox and a matching pair of fur-printed jeans with a crystal button. It’s a head-turning ensemble.

“Queenie’s style is to wear pants that run real long, and she’s going to put on a very big high heel. She always feels sexier when she’s taller than me in these huge shoes . . . I’m a lucky man,” says Bun.