Aarón Sanchez
Encyclopedia
Aarón Sanchez is an American chef, the executive chef and part-owner of the restaurant Centrico. He has appeared on Iron Chef America
, and is one of the few chefs whose battles have ended in a draw, tying with Masaharu Morimoto
in "Battle Black Bass" in Season 2. He was a contestant on The Next Iron Chef
, eliminated in the sixth test, "Creativity Under Pressure". He currently appears on the show Heat Seekers with Roger Mooking
, and is a recurring guest judge on the show Chopped
on Food Network
. He has also been featured on Chefs vs. City
with Chris Cosentino
.
, the sons of Zarela Martinez
, a restaurateur and the author of several cookbooks and the late Adolfo Sanchez. He began cooking at an early age, helping his mother prepare traditional Mexican foods for her catering business. In 1984, the family moved to New York
, and his mother launched the acclaimed Café Marimba, and Sanchez began to cook in a professional kitchen. At age 16, Sanchez was cooking at a level that earned him a place in a Masterclass with chef Paul Prudhomme
. In 1994, Sanchez graduated high school, and began to work full time for Prudhomme in New Orleans. Sanchez is married to musician Ife Mora, lead singer of the afro punk band SwEEtie. His signature dish is tikka masala.
in Providence, Rhode Island
. In 1994, he returned to New York, and worked in the kitchen at Patria under nuevo-Latino chef, Douglas Rodriguez. Sanchez met his future business partner, Alex Garcia while working there.
Garcia left Patria in 1996 to open Erizo Latino, taking Sanchez to help open the restaurant. Reviews were positive, referring to the restaurant as "casual" and "earthy," and "the fare is enticingly wholesome, and the kitchen's best dishes make a fine introduction to the cooking of Central and South America."
Sanchez moved to San Francisco, working under Chef Reed Hearon at Rose Pistola, before returning to New York to be executive chef at L-Ray, which specialized in foods from the Caribbean
and Gulf of Mexico
. This was followed by another executive chef position at Isla http://www.islarestaurant.com/, a restaurant inspired by pre-Revolutionary Cuba
.
Eamon Furlong hired Sanchez in 2000, to open Paladar, a pan-Latin restaurant on the Lower East Side. It opened in February, 2001, and won Time Out New York's award for Best New Lower East Side Restaurant that year. It went on to be named the Best Latin American Restaurant in their 2002 Eating and Drinking Guide. Paladar had been reviewed as being "colorful, lively circus of a restaurant that’s equal parts serious cooking and serious partying," and was named a Critic's Pick by New York
magazine. Sanchez sold his interest in the Paladar restaurant in 2010.
Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...
, and is one of the few chefs whose battles have ended in a draw, tying with Masaharu Morimoto
Masaharu Morimoto
is a well-known Japanese chef, best known as the third Iron Chef on the Japanese TV cooking show Iron Chef, and an Iron Chef on its spinoff, Iron Chef America. He is also known for his unique style of presenting food....
in "Battle Black Bass" in Season 2. He was a contestant on The Next Iron Chef
The Next Iron Chef
The Next Iron Chef, is a limited-run series on the Food Network now in its fourth season. Each season is a stand-alone competition to select a chef to be designated an Iron Chef, who will appear on the Food Network program Iron Chef America....
, eliminated in the sixth test, "Creativity Under Pressure". He currently appears on the show Heat Seekers with Roger Mooking
Roger Mooking
Roger Mooking is a Canadian chef and star of the series Everyday Exotic on the Cooking Channel. He is also a musician and a third generation restaurateur. He also currently appears in Heat Seekers with Aaron Sanchez on Food Network.-External links:*...
, and is a recurring guest judge on the show Chopped
Chopped (TV series)
Chopped is a reality based cooking television series created by Michael Krupat, produced by Daniel Kay, and hosted by Ted Allen that pits four chefs against each other competiting for a chance to win $10,000. New episodes air every Tuesday at 10pm EST on Food Network.-Format:In each episode, four...
on Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
. He has also been featured on Chefs vs. City
Chefs vs. City
Chefs vs. City is an American television show produced by Food Network. The show stars chefs Aarón Sanchez and Chris Cosentino who travel to different cities of the United States to challenge two local chefs to a variety of food-related challenges. Also starring is actor Ethan Erickson as the...
with Chris Cosentino
Chris Cosentino
Chris Cosentino is an American chef noted for his specialty, offal dishes, now considered haute cuisine by many, and his eco-consciousness. He is executive chef at Incanto in San Francisco. He was a competitor on The Next Iron Chef and has appeared on Iron Chef America. As of September 2009, he...
.
Biography
Aarón and his fraternal twin brother Rodrigo, an attorney in New York City, were born in 1976, in El Paso, TexasEl Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, the sons of Zarela Martinez
Zarela Martinez
Zarela Martinez is a New York City-based restaurateur and cookbook author born in the Mexican border town of Agua Prieta , who learned cooking from her mother, Aida Gabilondo, also a cookbook author. She began cooking professionally out of necessity.While taking a cooking class in New Orleans,...
, a restaurateur and the author of several cookbooks and the late Adolfo Sanchez. He began cooking at an early age, helping his mother prepare traditional Mexican foods for her catering business. In 1984, the family moved to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and his mother launched the acclaimed Café Marimba, and Sanchez began to cook in a professional kitchen. At age 16, Sanchez was cooking at a level that earned him a place in a Masterclass with chef Paul Prudhomme
Paul Prudhomme
Paul Prudhomme is an American celebrity chef whose specialty is Cajun cuisine. He is also the owner of one of the top restaurants in New Orleans, K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen.-Early life:...
. In 1994, Sanchez graduated high school, and began to work full time for Prudhomme in New Orleans. Sanchez is married to musician Ife Mora, lead singer of the afro punk band SwEEtie. His signature dish is tikka masala.
Career
In 1996, after working under Prudhomme, Aarón returned north to study culinary arts at Johnson & Wales UniversityJohnson & Wales University
Johnson & Wales University is a private, nonprofit, co-educational, career-oriented university with four campuses located throughout the United States. Providence, Rhode Island, USA, is home to JWU's first and largest of four currently operating campuses. Founded as a business school in 1914, by...
in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. In 1994, he returned to New York, and worked in the kitchen at Patria under nuevo-Latino chef, Douglas Rodriguez. Sanchez met his future business partner, Alex Garcia while working there.
Garcia left Patria in 1996 to open Erizo Latino, taking Sanchez to help open the restaurant. Reviews were positive, referring to the restaurant as "casual" and "earthy," and "the fare is enticingly wholesome, and the kitchen's best dishes make a fine introduction to the cooking of Central and South America."
Sanchez moved to San Francisco, working under Chef Reed Hearon at Rose Pistola, before returning to New York to be executive chef at L-Ray, which specialized in foods from the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. This was followed by another executive chef position at Isla http://www.islarestaurant.com/, a restaurant inspired by pre-Revolutionary Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
Eamon Furlong hired Sanchez in 2000, to open Paladar, a pan-Latin restaurant on the Lower East Side. It opened in February, 2001, and won Time Out New York's award for Best New Lower East Side Restaurant that year. It went on to be named the Best Latin American Restaurant in their 2002 Eating and Drinking Guide. Paladar had been reviewed as being "colorful, lively circus of a restaurant that’s equal parts serious cooking and serious partying," and was named a Critic's Pick by New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine. Sanchez sold his interest in the Paladar restaurant in 2010.
Television appearances
- Melting Pot - co-host with Alex Garcia on Food NetworkFood NetworkFood Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
. - Boy Meets GrillBoy Meets GrillBoy Meets Grill is a show on the Food Network. This show, hosted by Bobby Flay, features grilling tips for people with any level of experience in the kitchen. It was first aired in 2002. Boy Meets Grill also airs on ETC, Lifestyle Channel in the Philippines and on the Israeli Food Channel.The name...
- Guest on episode "Latin Style Sizzle" - Iron Chef AmericaIron Chef AmericaIron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...
- against Masaharu Morimoto in "Battle Black Bass" in Season 2. - The Next Iron ChefThe Next Iron ChefThe Next Iron Chef, is a limited-run series on the Food Network now in its fourth season. Each season is a stand-alone competition to select a chef to be designated an Iron Chef, who will appear on the Food Network program Iron Chef America....
- eliminated in Episode 4, "Creativity Under Pressure". - ChoppedChopped (TV series)Chopped is a reality based cooking television series created by Michael Krupat, produced by Daniel Kay, and hosted by Ted Allen that pits four chefs against each other competiting for a chance to win $10,000. New episodes air every Tuesday at 10pm EST on Food Network.-Format:In each episode, four...
- recurring judge; contestant on Chopped All-Stars - Throwdown! with Bobby FlayThrowdown! with Bobby FlayThrowdown! with Bobby Flay is a Food Network television program in which celebrity chef Bobby Flay challenges cooks renowned for a specific dish or type of cooking to a cook-off of their signature dish....
- Puffy Taco episode. Gave Bobby tips on the puffy taco. - Chefs vs. CityChefs vs. CityChefs vs. City is an American television show produced by Food Network. The show stars chefs Aarón Sanchez and Chris Cosentino who travel to different cities of the United States to challenge two local chefs to a variety of food-related challenges. Also starring is actor Ethan Erickson as the...
- co-host with Chris CosentinoChris CosentinoChris Cosentino is an American chef noted for his specialty, offal dishes, now considered haute cuisine by many, and his eco-consciousness. He is executive chef at Incanto in San Francisco. He was a competitor on The Next Iron Chef and has appeared on Iron Chef America. As of September 2009, he...
on Food NetworkFood NetworkFood Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent.... - Heat Seekers - co-host with Roger MookingRoger MookingRoger Mooking is a Canadian chef and star of the series Everyday Exotic on the Cooking Channel. He is also a musician and a third generation restaurateur. He also currently appears in Heat Seekers with Aaron Sanchez on Food Network.-External links:*...
on Food NetworkFood NetworkFood Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
External links
- Aarón Sanchez - official site
- Centrico Restaurant- official site
- Zarela Martinez - official site of Sanchez' mother.