The Hood Foodie
OTM: For those that don't know who Thehoodfoodie is, what would you tell them about yourself? Please introduce yourself here.
TFH: Hello! It is an honor to meet you, my name is Alexander Orozco, cuando como, no conosco, also known on social media as Thehoodfoodie.
I am going to keep it real with you guys, I wasn’t looking for Thehoodfoodie, he found me, once I had finally gotten tired of being the person that I had become before of the age of 36, my life didn’t have any direction, I was a lost soul, alcohol played a huge roll in my house hold, it actually took out my dad around the age of 53, so I needed to break the cycle, I then decided to stop drinking alcohol from one day to the next, because I knew that I wouldn’t have lasted if I kept drinking, I then sought help for my mental health, because since I could remember, I have felt that there has always been something off about me, but I just couldn’t pinpoint it, until a psychiatrist diagnosed me with bipolar depression, he then prescribed me medication, only to experince all the side effects that the box stated could happen, depression, suicidal, ended up being admitted on a 5152 psychiatric hold at Mission Community Hospital, where they just kept feeding me more meds, the reason for the side effects reactions, but as soon as I was realized from the hospital, I stopped taking medication, only to fall into a depression until the medication wore off.
At the time social media was hitting hard, Instagram was the trend, everyone around me was posting about food, fashion, lifestyle, etc… and I believe that unconsciously I was trying to find an outlet after experiencing my rock bottom, so I them started to take pictures of some of the local mom & pops shops that I visit, places like Lenchitas in Pacoima, Carrillos in San Fernando, quickly to get kicked out to L.A., the mecca of the foodie world, meaning mom & pop shops would reach out to us for support and the rest is history.
Once in L.A., I started to certify restaurants, creating dishes with the people that I was helping support, McDonald’s reached out to me at 3K followings, letting me know that they believed in me and would like to offer me an internship, with potential partnership, the biggest food brand in the world, podcast interviews where I am so appreciative for the the people that have given me a voice on their platforms, been in a Gordon Ramsey show, hangout with Aaron Sanchez, bumped into Andrew Zimmerman when I worked at Netflix, only to find out that surprisingly he knew who I was, but what is crazy to me, is that I don’t even know how I fell into the foodie world, because growing up I was such a picky eater and I don’t know how to cook, but I will tell you what I do have, that nobody can take away from me and that is the love, respect and even the protection of the people, something that is so hard to earn and now when people ask me what is my mission statement, I tell them that it is simple, it’s all over my social media “Showing love to the world, keeping it 100, God’s Plan”, becuase it is the least that I can do, after Diosito gave me a second chance of life.
OTM: What's your favorite dish in the world?
THF: Any dish that is served to me with love are definitely some of my top dishes, but if I had to choose dishes that take me to a special place, I have to say un caldito de res at a perfect 100% hot summer day, como me jefita me acostumbro.
OTM: Is your last day on this earth what are you eating?
THF: A Mexican buffet feast, con todo, menudo, tacos, carnita asada, salsita picosita, lo que caiga.
OTM: Have you thought about having your own restaurant?
THF: Funny you asked me that, I didn’t even think about it, until someone had asked me that same question a few weeks ago, because imagine, “Thehoodfoodie Restaurant”, how amazing would that be, going from a person that didn’t believe in himself about 7 years ago, to accomplishing the unimaginable.
OTM: Let's talk about collaborations, what has been the collaboration you're most proud of so far?
THF: By far, it has to be when McDonald’s, they believed in me and now I have been sponsored by McDonald’s for the past 3 years, they have also helped me give back to the community in many ways, for example, we were able hook up 100 healthcare workers at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in the city of Tarzana, in my HOOD of the 818, with breakfast during the pandemic, the same healthcare workers that saved my life when covid almost took me out, my oxygen levels were at around 63, irregular heart beat, blood clots, infections, to the point that even the doctor told me, “Damn carnalito, I can’t believe that you made it” and it is so funny, because when I was released from the hospital, I told the nurse when she wheeled me out, ‘Don’t forget the name Thehoodfoodie carnalita” and she replied, “Who”? And I responded, “Thehoodfoodie, because I will be back to repay you guy’s for saving my life and tell them that Thehoodfoodie sent you’! Isn’t it crazy how things work out, I am not even trying Fam.
OTM: Do you think there's a secret formula to being an influencer, that everyone knows but no one wants to share?
THF: I do have to say that I feel my story is unique, meaning, I wasn’t looking for Thehoodfoodie, Thehoodfoodie found me right after experiencing my rock bottom, I am not trying to be anybody but myself, I can only speak for myself, but my advice to people, is to always be yourself, never try to please everybody but yourself, wear you heart on your sleeve and everything else will work itself out.
OTM: Is there any brand or person that you would like to collaborate with in the future?
THF: Yes! My lady Carolina Orozco aka Mrs. HOOD Foodie, I am extremely excited to see if we can collaborate in the near future, bringing you guy’s a potential cooking series with Thehoodfoodie’s, if you think I have charisma, wait until you get to know her.
OTM: Now, we have all collectively been through a very hard time since the whole pandemic started.
THF: Let’s talk about mental health. Until recently I didn't know you could be so broken and depressed but still be able to function. Have you ever felt this way?
For as long as I can remember, I knew something was off about me, but I could never pinpoint what it was, until I decided to start working on myself, part of that, was going to a psychiatrist, who then diagnosed me with bipolar depression, so something tells me that i’ve always had it, it was just never caught.
OTM: What has been one of your biggest mental struggles of late?
THF: In 2020 I tried medication for the second time after beign suicidal and got admitted to Mission Community Hospital on a 5152 psychiatrict hold and depressed the first time I tried medication for my bipolar depression, thinkig that maybe the first time they had prescribed me the wrong medication, nope, the secong time I tried it, I fell into a 7 month, 24/7 depression, if you have ever experince depression, then you know what I am talking about.
I ain’t going to lie to you, in a way, I am glad that I went through that, because in 2020 after experiencing it and the medication wore off, I jumped on my social media platforms and expressed to my Familia what I had just gone thru with my mental health struggles and it seemed that a whole lot of people were being affected with their mental health due to the situation with covid lock down, to now, being an advocate for mental health awareness.
OTM: What's your best advice for someone that is going through any mental challenges at the moment?
THF: I wish that I had a blueprint for this question, but I don’t, I can only tell you what I think has helped me the most and that is, that regardless of how difficult the situation seems to get, you have to stay as positive as possible, fight thru the negativity trying to break you down and I promise you that you will come out on the other side stronger than ever.
OTM: What's your best coping mechanism?
THF: I medicate myself when I stop to visit all these small mom & pop shops that reach out to me to show them some love, but it works both ways, because when I visit them, the love that I receive from every single business I visit, feels like unconditional and now I don’t use medication for my bipolar depression, the love from the Familia has replaced it.
OTM: How important is La Familia for you?
THF: My Familia means the world to me, we found each other about 7 years ago, at a time when I didn’t believe in myself, jumped on social media after hitting my rock bottom, they believed in my realness, rawness and being relatable since day one and look at us now, 2022 I am preaching that we are planning a world tour to show love to the world, just putting my part for them believing in me, because if you know me, that’s how I operate.
OTM: Where does the name Thehoodfoodie come from?
THF: I ain’t going to lie to you, I honestly don’t remember where the name came from, my lady claims that she created it, I’ll give her the credit, what is crazy to me, is that everything has come so organic, from the name, logo, etc…, to be labeled with Thehoodfoodie name, supporting mom & pop shops, it goes hand in hand, don’t you think?
OTM: Estás en una carne asada, what are your top 3 songs you're playing?
THF: Amor Eterno (Rocío Dúrcal), to remember my jefita Sarah Bertha Orozco (Cachanilla), Camino de Guanajuato (Jose Alfredo Jimenez) to remember my jefito Jose Luis Orozco (Panza Verde) y Jefe de Jefes (Los Tigres del Norte), because it hits hard, the lyrics speak to me, everybody wants your position, until they figure out what it takes not only to reach your position, but also what to maintain it.
OTM: Tell us more about your signature jackets, do you brainstorm or how is the process of getting one custom?
THF: I met Tony Jones a couple of years ago at the barbershop that I was currently going to, he would bring in custom jackets that people would order from him, one day my barber told me Tony’s story, about him coming to L.A. to pursue his dreams from Texas, only to find himself homeless for a few months, but he didn’t let that stop him, he now has a storefront in the HOOD of L.A., music artist, actor and so much more.
The day that I found out about his story, I decided to support him, normally when I believe in an artist, what I tell every single one of them, is “You are the master of your own craft, I believe in you, do you”, I never tell Tony how to customize my jackets, it’s all him and as you can see, all of the jackets that he has made for me, all have been turning heads all over the place to his one-of-a-king art pieces.
Wow, I’m honestly not only amazed but motivated with your story. God works in mysterious ways and I believe he has you here for a lot of reasons but one of them is to motivate people to keep going even after they have reached their lowest, is there anything else you would like to share with us?
