Where I Come from: Life Lessons from a Latino Chef - Hardcover

Sanchez, Aaron

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 141973802X ISBN 13: 9781419738029

Verlag: ABRAMS PR, 2019

Inhaltsangabe

In Where I Come From, America’s most prominent Latino chef shares the story behind his food, his family, and his professional journey.

"An absolute page-turner with gritty stories and hilarious anecdotes." —Gordon Ramsay

Before Chef Aarón Sánchez rose to fame on shows such as MasterChef and Chopped, he was a restless Mexican American son, raised by a fiercely determined and talented woman who was a successful chef and restaurateur in her own right. She is credited with bringing authentic Mexican cuisine to the New York City dining scene.

Sánchez, who lost his father at a young age, was destined to follow in his mother Zarela’s footsteps. He spent nights as a child in his family’s dining room surrounded by some of the most influential chefs and restaurateurs in New York. At 16, needing direction, he was sent by his mother to work for renowned chef Paul Prudhomme in New Orleans.

In this memoir, Sánchez delves into his formative years with remarkable candor, injecting his story with adrenaline and revealing how he fell in love with cooking and started a career in the fast-paced culinary world. Sánchez shares the invaluable lessons he learned from his upbringing and his training—both inside and outside the kitchen—and offers an intimate look into the chaotic and untraditional life of a professional chef and television personality

This memoir is Sánchez’s highly personal account of a fatherless Latino kid whose talent and passion took him to success at the top of his profession.

“A testament to family and the mentors that shape a young cook into a passionate, innovative, and ruthless chef.” —Gordon Ramsay

“Chef Aarón Sánchez’s memoir touched my soul.” —Oscar De La Hoya

“This captivating book reminds us that food is dynamic, a form of cultural currency.” —Emeril Lagasse

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Aarón Sánchez is an award-winning chef, TV personality, cookbook author, and philanthropist. He is the costar of the hit series MasterChef and MasterChef Jr. and has starred and guest-starred on many television series on Food Network and Cooking Channel. He lives in New Orleans.

Aaron Sanchez is an award-winning chef, TV personality, cookbook author, and philanthropist. He is the costar of the hit series MasterChef and MasterChef Jr. and has starred and guest-starred on many television series on Food Network and Cooking Channel. He lives in New Orleans. 

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Where I Come From

Life Lessons from a Latino Chef

By Aarón Sanchez, Stef Ferrari

Abrams Books

Copyright © 2019 Roux, Inc.
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4197-3802-9

Contents

Introduction, ix, 
Chapter One: El Paso to New York City, 1, 
Chapter Two: Mi Casa Es Su Casa, 
Chapter Thee: Two States of Mind, 
Chapter Four: Pushing Boundaries, 
Recipe: Zarela's Pineapple-Ginger Chicken Wings with Soy-Pineapple Glaze, 
Chapter Five: A Lesson in Loss, 
Chapter Six: On the Road and in the Street, 
Recipe: Tio Mario's Famous Chili con Carne Colorado-Style Burritos, 
Chapter Seven: Into the Wild, 
Chapter Eight: The Big (and Not So) Easy, 
Recipe: A Quick New Orleans Shellfish Étouffée, 
Chapter Nine: A Lesson in Higher Learning, 
Recipe: Caldo Gallegos of White Bean, Chorizo, and Swiss Chard, 
Chapter Ten: Nuevo Latino 101, 
Recipe: Mixed Seafood Ceviche Negro with Citrus and Chiles, 
Chapter Eleven: California Dreaming, 
Recipe: Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter, 
Chapter Twelve: Return to New York, 
Chapter Thirteen: Living the Dream, 
Recipe: Bacalao-Stuffed Sweet Plantains with Crema Mexicana, 
Chapter Fourteen: Food Gets Famous, 
Chapter Fifteen: Mexican Cooking on Camera, 
Recipe: Seafood Stew with Coconut and Chipotle, 
Recipe: Sautéed Hominy with Pico de Gallo and Oregano, 
Chapter Sixteen: Centrico, 
Chapter Seventeen: Ife & Yuma, 
Recipe: Seared Salmon with Pumpkin Seed Mole, 
Chapter Eighteen: A Painful Split, 
Chapter Nineteen: A Wider World, 
Recipe: Tequila-Battered Cauliflower Tacos with Chimichurri and Chipotle Mayonnaise, 
Chapter Twenty: New Orleans Calling, 
Recipe: Johnny Sánchez Brussels Sprouts Salad with Butternut Squash, Cotija, and Jalapeño Vinaigrette, 
Chapter Twenty-One: Feeding Change, 
Chapter Twenty/Epilogue: Where I Come from ... and Where I'm Going, 
Acknowledgments, 
Index, 

CHAPTER 1

EL PASO TO NEW YORK CITY

I'll never forget the first time I saw the city.

It was after dark when I opened my eyes, and I had to adjust to the fact that I was waking up to a night sky. I was totally disoriented — not just by the time of day, but by my surroundings. I'd been in the back of my mom's catering van tons of times, but it still took a few minutes for me to remember exactly where I was — and why being there this time was so different from the rest. It was a rickety, white Econoline with the words "Zarela's Catering" splashed across the side in green and red paint. It had the permanent, piquant aroma of chiles and guisados — the super-savory and comforting traditional Mexican braises that my mom served at so many of her catering gigs. I loved those smells, and I loved that piece-of-shit van. When she first bought it, it might as well have been a stretch limo. To me as a kid, it seemed gigantic — even luxurious. But most importantly, it was always packed full of my mom's most delicious food. Gorditas filled with her signature salpicón de huachinango — a red snapper hash made with fresh jalapeños and tomatoes, perfumed with a blend of cinnamon, cloves, and cumin. Spicy macarrones con salsa poblana — a buttery, cheesy pasta dish that was about as close to Italian food as I had ever seen in those days — and grilled meats of all kinds, served with rich and classic rajas con crema(roasted poblanos). It was a wonderland of her greatest culinary hits.

I loved to tag along to her different jobs and help out with whatever I could. My sister, Marisa — my father's daughter from his first marriage — would come and help with the serving. I couldn't carry much in those days, but I thought I was being a big help, carting jars of chilespiked salsa de cilantro or hotel pans layered down with fresh tortillas for her guests to enjoy. I also always had the privilege and super-critical task of packing the cookies. They were good times, and I always tried my best. I did a lot of work in that van — and I stole a lot of snacks. But one thing I hadn't done up until that point was sleep in it. And it definitely never had the couch in the back that I was sitting on when I woke up that night.

The passenger side of the front seat was papered with Rand McNally maps, a few days earlier set open to southeastern US routes, and now creased to display northern states so she could follow along (there was no Google Maps back then). My twin brother, Rodrigo, was passed out next to me. I figured I must've fallen asleep somewhere in Virginia — a state that felt never-ending. We were pretty tuckered out from singing along to endless rounds of Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, and all the other classic country tunes Mom was blasting and belting out through the first few states of our journey. Her favorite was Rockin' Sydney's "Don't Mess with My Toot Toot," which she played on repeat, tapping the steering wheel, just because it cracked us up to hear her sing it. She knew she had two pretty terrified six-year-old boys in the back seat — two boys who had only ever seen their Texas hometown, and had absolutely no concept of the faraway land of New York City she told them they were moving to. She made it her mission not only to deliver us safely, but in good spirits.

Before we left El Paso, and our tiny apartment on the west side of town, she tried to prepare us for the road ahead. "Boys, this is going to be a big adventure," she sat us down and said. "I have an amazing opportunity, and the three of us are going to start something totally new." She promised we would love it. In the weeks leading up to the trip, she told us all sorts of stories about how magical the city was, and how lucky we'd be to live there. I wasn't so sure about this New York place, but while she was busy packing up the last of our things the morning we left, I stole a peek at the really important stuff. It was clear this was a special trip, because inside the cooler she'd filled for the road were all my brother's and my favorite snacks. Flautas and picadillo dulce tacos, albóndigas, and her homemade tortilla chips with tomatillo salsa. I didn't know where we were going, but I was sure as hell I was going to enjoy the getting there.

But then the time came to actually take off. At that age, it was nearly impossible for me to really grasp what was happening. We'd spent the weekend with my dad, and the morning we were to leave town, we had to say our good-byes to him and the rest of our relatives. We had a big, tight family, and it wasn't out of the ordinary for all of us to spend time together, but I could tell by the sober faces that this was something different.

"Don't worry, I'll see you in just a few months," my dad said, squatting to meet me and looking from beneath his worn cowboy hat in the springtime Texas sun. My parents had already worked out an arrangement: Rodrigo and I would fly down and spend summers with him. I idolized my father, and even though my folks had already been split up for a few years and we weren't living together, the idea of not being able to see him on a regular basis was a concept I couldn't quite wrap my head around — and I didn't want to.

He told me to take care of myself. He told me he loved us and would see us soon. "This is going to be a good thing for you boys and your mom — don't think of it as something scary," he tried to...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: ABRAMS PR
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2019
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 141973802X
• ISBN 13: 9781419738029
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 304
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar