The melting pot that is Los Angeles is particularly reflected in the city’s food, and that has given Alex Cottrell the opportunity to make a name for himself online as LA Try Guy.

His series “LA Try Guy” – which can be found on Instagram (@latryguy) and YouTube – follows Cottrell as he tries out different eateries in South Los Angeles and the surrounding communities.

“I grew up in Arkansas eating soul food and fried fish, fried food, whatever,” says Cottrell, who is from Little Rock. The Hollywood Reporter.

“I love, I love LA, I love the city. You know, it’s been a wonderful, wonderful journey,” Cottrell says of his new home. In 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, lockdowns forced Cottrell to close an ice cream shop he ran in Arkansas. Luckily, he found a job in sales that allowed him to move to the West Coast with his cousin. “They (his new employer) gave me a piece of paper that had a whole bunch of cities on it. It said, you know, New York, Chicago, everywhere,” Cottrell said. “And when I saw LA, I thought, nah, I have to do LA, that’s got to be it, you know, because I’ve always been interested in entertainment and stuff like that.”

After arriving in Los Angeles, Cottrell and his then-girlfriend spent some time enjoying the local food scene, which sparked the idea to start a show focused on restaurant reviews in South Los Angeles and beyond. “She was like, man, you should do one of the videos like those TikTokers do, because we (ate) at a lot of cool places… I probably did TikTok for a month. I have, like, 20,000 followers.”

His newfound popularity led Cottrell to create more content under the name LA Try Guy, which gained him even more followers. However, his new love of the city affected his figure, almost forcing him to abandon his endeavors. He “stopped temporarily because I got fat,” he laughs. “And you know, I started my Instagram account in February of last year. I started YouTube in April of last year and it’s been up ever since.”

What surprised him were some comments that drew a caricature of South Los Angeles. “I started driving to all these different towns south of the 10 (freeway), and I’m not from here. So I didn’t know where I was. I started reading the comments. Everyone was saying, ‘Man, you’re risking your life for a piece of chicken.'”

Cottrell believes he can highlight restaurants that deserve more attention. “I think anyone can come here and get good food. I mean, it’s not like it used to be. I mean, back then, I think it was tough,” he says, adding that he feels the stereotypes about South LA are outdated. “These days, if you’re a regular guy, you come out and want to eat something, it’s not a problem.”

With his new reach – he currently has nearly 200,000 followers on Instagram and 631,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel – Cottrell is connecting with his fans to discover the next restaurant to try. “I get a lot of direct messages, hundreds and hundreds of direct messages from people and restaurants and stuff wanting me to come over. So sometimes I skim through that. If something catches my eye, I do it.”

“Everywhere I go there is love, everyone is happy to see me. We just have fun. I don’t respect anyone here and I don’t do anything stupid for clicks,” he continues. “We just have fun, eat something, meet great people. And it’s become so much more than I thought it would be. It’s just been absolutely amazing.”

LA Try Guy has even led to collaborations with some brands like Famous Dave’s BBQ Restaurant and California Pizza Kitchen and filming with celebrities like rapper Ty Dolla $ign, One to one Actor Robert Ri’chard, Good burger Actor and comedian Kel Mitchell and former Lakers forward Matt Barnes. “I just did a video with Matt Barnes yesterday, you know. I mean, we sat down and chopped it up. He has a place (We Dat’s Chicken & Shrimp) down in Gardena.”

Looking ahead, Cottrell has a few dream celebrity bookings in mind. “I really need to get Denzel (Washington) on the show. I feel like I’m going to learn so much just by sitting down with him,” he says. “Cardi B, because she seems cool, you know? I mean, GloRilla? Glo, yeah, she seems cool.” So far, guests have contacted him directly to appear on LA Try Guy, he says. “Like all the people I’ve worked with, I’ve never had to contact anyone for nothing. They all told me, Yo, like, you know, you should go to this place. OK, let’s go together.”

A local fast-food chain that Cottrell reviewed and recommends, Tam’s Burgers, has since gained attention for being featured in rapper Kendrick Lamar’s video for his hit single “Not Like Us.”

“I think the Kendrick thing was great,” says Cottrell, “in terms of uniting the city. No matter where you’re from, Kendrick brought everyone together at one legendary burger place in LA.” Cottrell also recommends these two LA spots as his favorites: Hungry Joe’s Jamaican Restaurant in Inglewood for oxtail and Hawkins House of Burgers in Watts.

Cottrell also says his series has brought in sales for the restaurants he features. “I went to a place in Inglewood, StormBurger. I went there once before, it was empty, empty. I just walked by, you know, and did the video. And the line (since then) is crazy.” He admits, though, that not all the reaction to LA Try Guy has been positive. “I say I get the most negative feedback from people when I go somewhere and say it’s good. And you know, I meet people on the street all the time. They say, ‘Man, I was there. That was garbage. Man, that was awful.'”

Cottrell’s platform has also allowed him to travel to other cities, like New Orleans, and develop a concept for his own television show, in which he hopes to spotlight unknown chefs across the United States. “So many people out here, so many people always come up to me and tell me, ‘My mom does this best here. My dad does this best here. My aunt has the best. I want to come and see what y’all are talking about, man, you know. So I look for the best people, the best undiscovered chefs with extraordinary skills. I mean, I want to bring together regular people who have never had a restaurant before,” says Cottrell, who is also an actor and has appeared in series such as 2016’s. DJ Dog Style and 2020 The daily.

When it comes to other food bloggers and online reviewers like Detroit-born, Los Angeles-based Keith Lee, Cottrell not only supports his fellow foodie, but wants to collaborate with him. “I think as far as Keith Lee goes, it would be cool to collaborate with him on something one day,” says Cottrell. “He’s more laid back and does his thing. My thing is more entertainment. I feel like I have a lot of energy. I have a lot of fun.”

But for the most part, Cottrell is just living out his Hollywood dreams while offering a glimpse into the community and city that has become his second home. “It’s fun, you know? I think it’s cool that we have this community, you know? I mean, people come up to me and say, ‘Man, I love this. I don’t like this. I love this.'”