By Reynaldo Mena.
Tatiana Pacheco has become a symbol of positivity and healthy food. Through Andrea’s Healthy Kitchen, she seeks to convey to people the importance of improving their eating habits and showing an optimistic attitude towards life.
“Nothing is impossible, everything can be achieved, no matter the difficulty of what we face,” says Pacheco. And she says it from experience.
Pacheco arrived in this country from Peru at the age of 20. She had to do everything, from working in wholesale and retail stores to fast food restaurants or driving school buses.
“It’s better if you ask me what I didn’t do to survive,” she says.
Her father has been one of her great inspirations.
“I always remember him in difficult moments. My father died of cancer, but I remember that he always told me that even though they told him he was dying, he always remained optimistic, fighting. So I think, ‘if my father remained positive living that situation, I have to overcome my problems, which are very small compared to his experience’,” she adds.
Being in California, she discovered that she was born with a gift, that of helping others. People can turn to her, and if they ask for her help, she will be there.
“I think it’s one of the greatest gifts we have. I know that many people don’t care about supporting others, but to improve as a society, we have to give each other a hand,” she says. And she lived it firsthand.
Her first Andrea’s Healthy Kitchen location burned down completely. And until that moment, she realized that she did not have fire insurance.
“We were materially left with nothing,” she says. However, she began to receive help from many people, several of whom she did not know. “As an immigrant, I have had to fight several battles, that has strengthened me,” she says. “When I face a problem, I try to focus on the solution.”
Despite being a determined and strong woman, she is also very emotionally sensitive.
“It’s like talking to two Tatinas. When that moment comes, I have to disconnect completely. Take the time to rethink things. Meditate, be with myself and my family or friends,” she says.
Once a month, she tries to do the same routine. Not answer the phone if it’s for business reasons. Take a trip, even a short one. Go to a game, see friends. That’s very important in her mental health process.
“Mental health goes hand in hand with eating habits. When I’m anxious, I eat a lot, I discovered that recently,” she says.
Her preference for healthy eating came hand in hand with a tragic event. When she was working, she had an accident while driving a school bus.
“Only the driver’s seat remained intact. Everything else was destroyed,” she says.
That became a miracle. The doctor told her she would need to go to the operating room because her back would not withstand all the weight she was carrying. The other option was to lose weight. She decided on the latter.
“And there I was reborn. I began to worry about what I ate, about exercising. And then, while unemployed, a friend told me to sell those healthy foods that I consumed. I got excited and with the help of social media, I started to promote myself, that was my salvation,” says Pacheco.
In addition to improving physically, she also accomplished another one of her goals: helping people.
With this type of food, she wants to help them eat healthier, improve their habits. This is what the pandemic left us, the concern of certain people to improve our health. With the help of Mexican chef Many Díaz, he created a very original menu that became the signature of his restaurant.
“People liked it. That was our advertising, word of mouth on social media,” she says.
Since then, her mission has been to sell, promote and spread the benefits of healthy food. She attends every event she is invited to and provides advice to those who ask for it.
“My accident was a blessing. That’s why I’m here. We have to educate people, children, young people, about the importance of improving eating habits,” she concludes.
TIPS from Tatiana Pacheco
1.If you have a dream, don’t give up. That’s not an option.
2.Be open to any suggestion.
3.Don’t close yourself off.
4.Accept collaboration; doing things alone is very difficult.
