But second, I'd remove "optimization" from considering here. The code you're describing isn't slow, it's bad code that also happens to be slow. Don't write bad code, ever, if you can knowingly avoid it.

It's OK to write good, clear, slow code when correctness and understandability is more important that optimizing that particular bit. It's not OK to write boneheaded code.

(Exception: After you've written the working program, it turns out that you have all the information to make the query once in one part of the broader program, but don't have all the information to make it a second time until flow reaches another, decoupled part of the program. It may be the lesser evil to do that than rearrange the entire thing to pass all the necessary state around, although you're making a deal with the devil and pinky swearing never to add a 3rd call, then a 4th, then a 5th, then...)