Whether through his Mexican restaurant Johnny Sánchez or television gigs on the Food Network (Chopped) and the Cooking Channel (Taco Trip), Aarón Sánchez has successfully carved out a lane for himself in the culinary world.
Now, the award-winning chef is ready to pay it forward to his community—literally. In collaboration with the John Besh Foundation’s “Chefs Move!” program, Sánchez has launched the Aarón Sánchez Scholarship Fund, which will send an aspiring New Orleans cook of Latino heritage to The International Culinary Center in New York.
“It can be difficult to work your way up the ladder from dishwasher or line cook to executive chef, and I feel like there aren’t many opportunities for aspiring chefs, especially from the Latin community, to get to that next level,” Sánchez told NOLA.com
With that being said, Sánchez makes it clear that his relationship with future recipients won’t merely begin and end with a check. “Some of the most important lessons I’ve learned from my mentors were outside of the kitchen, so I think it’s important to just spend time with each recipient, learning who they are, where they are from and what they want to accomplish,” he adds.
To make his vision possible, Sánchez and business partner Miles Landrem will host a $250 dinner at Pigeon & Prince on Nov. 3, where they will be joined by Sánchez’s very own mentor Douglas Rodriguez, godfather of the Nuevo Latino Cuisine movement.
Salute to Chef Sánchez for giving back!