Alissa Jones | Food and Lifestyle Blogger

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alissa Jones and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alissa, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
In terms of risk in my life I took a huge risk when I moved from Texas to Los Angeles to jumpstart my career in film and television. I went alone and without a job or any prospects. A lot of people in normal industries want to have everything lined up before they take that chance, with working in TV you just have to work it out on your own when you’re there. It all worked out in the end! I arrived to LA on a Thursday to an apartment I had only seen online that was super nice and in a great area and landed my first job the very next day! About a month after that I started a year long job with Paramount Pictures working on the first season of 13 Reasons Why. It’s all a hustle for sure but you never know until you take the chance!Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I work in film and television mainly working in Documentaries. I have a huge passion for food so I tried to steer myself into food shows such as Street Food: Asia and Chef’s Table. It’s both difficult and easy to get into the genre of TV you want to be in. Like I said before, it’s all about that hustle and with hard work you will certainly be rewarded. Along with that I cook and bake A LOT at home and liked documenting that. When the pandemic hit I was unemployed and SUPER bored. That’s where my blog The Texaleno came in! I am still a Texan through and through but living in LA has given me such a bigger picture to the world besides BBQ and cookouts. I’m no chef but it is fun documenting some original recipes or some that I’ve tried. Or even helpful posts like my essential cooking tools. It’s been a struggle getting it off the ground and get engagement but all in all I’m just here for a good time!Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh man, Houston is one of my favorite places in the country to eat. I may be biased but Houston has one of the best food scenes! Along with that the city has over 300 parks. To hang out we’d definitely be renting bikes and going up and down Eleanor Tinsley / Buffalo Bayou Park. You could spend all day there. Some of my favorite hangs to drink are Axelrad and Better Luck Tomorrow because I love a good patio area. For a more romantic drink setting I would go on a weekday to Anvil Bar. For a bit of a fun night, I haven’t gone but I have Voodoo Queen Daiquiri Dive on my list. For FOOD oh where wouldn’t I go. I feel like a staple of Houston is vietnamese so I would go to the original Pho Saigon. Funny story, when I was just starting out as a production assistant in Houston I landed this gig where the company didn’t tell me anything about the show. Turns out it was a show Katie Couric hosted on Yahoo! highlight the best cities in the country. I got to eat alongside her and Underbelly’s Chris Shepherd at Pho Saigon. It will forever be one of my favorite moments on the job. If I include pho saigon I would be remiss to not include 2 other staples in Downtown. Mai’s and The Breakfast Klub. I think the last time I was at Mai’s was after a night out in Midtown at 3 AM. Bless those servers. Now I usually hangout in The Heights and a lot of good places are popping up there. Onion Creek for brunch because of those frozen mimosas, Boil House for crawfish when it’s in season and Downhouse for dinner! And of course for some classic Tex Mex I am a Ninfa’s on Navigation girl through and through but El Tiempo never disappoints.Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Two of my best friends in the whole world really encouraged me to branch out and figure out life on my own. Both of which have taken huge risks either moving around the entire country or out of the country multiple times. Jessica Dixon Galbreath who I’ve known since I was 5 years old is a huge support in my life. We both met our other best friend Andrea Martin in 7th grade and we’ve been inseparable ever since!

Website: thetexaleno.com

Instagram: @thetexaleno ; @alissajoh

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