Alexandria Hollowell (‘19

DREAM HOW THREE DESSERT JARS TURNED A INTO REALITY

It is hard to believe that successful chef entrepreneur, Alexandria Hollowell (’19) lived in her car while attending the University of Houston. “I was majoring in Communications and would often park my car in front of the Valenti School of Communications,” said Alexandria. “I felt safe there because UH security would drive by quite often. I would wake up each morning, go to CVS, clean myself up in the restroom, buy a dollar breakfast and then go to class.” It is this type of “persevere regardless” mentality that pushed Alexandria to create the first-of-its-kind cuisine

in Austin, Texas. “I didn’t know at the time that a setback would lead me

to where I am today,’’ said Alexandria.

Like many experienced in the wake of COVID-19, Alexandria was laid off from her job in early 2020. Her intuition that something of this nature might happen led Alexandria to begin mapping out a side business venture. “A friend of mine encouraged me to put my cooking skills to use, so after I lost my job, I went to H.E.B. and purchased three food jars, not knowing what I was actually going to put in them,” said Alexandria. After much consternation, Alexandria decided to fill the three jars with desserts: keylime, banana pudding and chocolate mousse. She set up a table curbside outside her home and began selling. After her neighbor bought out all her desserts, raving about how much he liked them, Alexandria went into action.

Within four months, Alexandria was selling out, offering a unique blend of a Creole and Gullah-Geechee infused cuisine. Creole is the non-Anglo-Saxon culture and lifestyle that flourished in Louisiana before it was sold to the United States in

1803 and that continued to dominate South Louisiana until the

early decades of the 20th century. The Gullah-Geechee culture comprises the descendants of West and Central Africans who were enslaved and brought to the lower Atlantic states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia to work on the coastal rice, Sea Island cotton and indigo plantations. Alexandria’s novel creation, known as LE Meals™, has become a cultural food phenomenon in Austin, being featured in Austin Monthly, The Austin Chronicle and the national food website, Eater, amongst others. Due to the high demand, Alexandria has opened another location in addition to her residential takeaway establishment.

When asked where her “can-do” attitude originated, Alexandria pointed out that her time at UH definitely made an impact. “I was so fortunate to be taken in and mentored by several good people,” said Alexandria. “One of them was Dr. Temple Northup the associate professor at the Jack J. Valenti School of Communications

who solely saw my worth, and as a result, moved the obstacles out of my way in order for me to fly. My advisor for the UH Fulbright program, Dr. Benjamin Rayder was another one. He encouraged me to push beyond my situation for a once in a lifetime opportunity. Renowned cinematographer and UH alumnus, Brad Rushing (’86), who I met on a UH-sponsored trip to Los Angeles, connected me with influential people that provided great opportunities and placed me at the front of those lines, based on his name and referral. Lastly, assistant director of media services and feefunded organizations at UH, Christopher Walker, was also very supportive. At that time, I could not afford graduation pictures, so Christopher took them for me. Those pictures are hanging on my wall today. The University of Houston paved the way for me, and I will be forever grateful.”

To learn about LE Meals and its offerings, please visit lemeals.net.

@LEMealsFood