Elena Gonzales

Elena Gonzales
Born in: Flemington, NJ
Lived here: 4 years
Interview location: The Opossum’s Tale, Fox Street
Johnson City brought Elena to the area. Her cousin started Lazy Lady Baking Company out of Johnson City, and Elena would go to the Jonesborough Farmers Market to sell the pastries. She then moved to Jonesborough during the pandemic. Elena runs The Opossum’s Tale with her partner Anna, and she is the primary cook.
“I mean, it’s a tough thing in a town that I feel like has a very strong… community and a strong liberal presence, but also a very strong conservative presence. Those things coexist in a really interesting way in Jonesborough. In a way that I don’t—I mean I’m sure it exists in other places—but I haven’t been able to kind of witness it in the same sort of way. That people come and they’re neighbors here… And they have conversations. They have serious conversations. But, community and neighbors first in a lot of ways. And I really respect that about a lot of people here.”