—My food story August —’24— 33 Chef & food “If you don’t start putting challenges in front of yourself, you’re going to get stagnant” Aarón Sánchez is an award-winning chef, TV personality, author, and philanthropist. He is the chief chef and owner of Johnny Sánchez in New Orleans, and a judge on FOX’s hit culinary competition series MasterChef and MasterChef Junior. He is the Partner and Creative Director of Cocina, the first online content platform dedicated to celebrating the Latin lifestyle through its vibrant culinary culture. He is also the founder of the Aarón Sanchez Impact Fund, which aims to uplift Latino youth through food. He grew up in the restaurant business and is passionate about preserving his family’s legacy through food and encouraging diversity in the kitchen. A third-generation chef and cookbook author, he grew up in El Paso, Texas, in a proud Mexican-American home. His mother and grandmother were pioneers of Mexican cuisine in the US, so he was somewhat destined to be in the kitchen. By the age of 10, he began working for his mother, Zarela Martinez, at her restaurant in NYC. She is by far his biggest influence, inspiration, and his toughest critic. He moved from the coat check to the kitchen upon turning 15 and was able to find his culinary voice due to mentors such as Paul Prudhomme. The kitchen provided structure, mentoring, and discipline to him — something he believes each person needs. He remained under the watchful eyes of mentors and realized his potential and why his cuisine and culture were so special; it was boldly, proudly, and unapologetically Mexican-American. Years of hard work and dedication later, Aarón received an opportunity to inaugurate a Latin restaurant; it was the first of many. From there on, he was not just a chef but a highly sought-after television personality as well. “From there, the request to do TV appearances started rolling in. For me, the whole motivation for doing television initially was to try to get people to come to my restaurants and eat,” he revealed. “As I’ve gotten older, the mission has been more profound. Now it’s teaching aspects of my culture and food to people who might not be familiar with it. It’s an obligation to myself and then to my background so people can cook this food authentically at home and fall in love with it.” He hopes to inspire the coming generations to become familiar with cultural nuances and culinary heritage they didn’t know existed. It was not long before he won the James Beard Award for Television Studio Program and was recognized by the Hispanic Federation with the Premio Orgullo Award for being a leader in the Hispanic community. Today, Aarón is constantly pushing himself to do more. He is a sponge for knowledge and experiences both on and off the screen and inside or outside of the kitchen. He is even learning from the contestants in the competition shows that he judges. “If you don’t start putting challenges in front of yourself, you’re going to get stagnant, and you’re going to lose your edge. I’m always ready to compete, and I never stop learning,” he stated. “Most artists do other facets of art. I’m no exception. I have a passion for tattoos (obviously), poetry, music, cars, and folk art.” Aarón’s greatest passion, however, is mentorship. It was the inspiration for the Aarón Sánchez Impact Fund, which is dedicated to uplifting the lives of Latino youth through food. When he started thinking about his trajectory and what he has been through, he thought: What is the best way that we can say thank you? The way to do that is by taking care of the youth. “Our youth is the most valuable commodity that we have in life. If we don’t nurture them and set them up for success, then we’re failing,” he shared. When he started cooking in kitchens, Latinos were prep cooks, dishwashers, and maybe line cooks, they were not the chefs. This was something he would not let happen. To date, he has given away almost $1 million in culinary scholarships in hopes of diversifying leadership in the kitchen. According to Aarón, he cannot see himself doing anything else. This is what he was destined to do, and he is lucky to be one of those people who never have to worry about finding their path. Aarón Sánchez did not choose the chef life; destiny chose him. Born to a celebrated Mexican chef, he learned the ropes of the trade at a young age, going on to become one of America’s most celebrated chefs AARÓN SÁNCHEZ
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