HOLA! USA SPECIAL FEATURE
Celebrity Chef Aarón Sánchez talks food, family, and culture in ‘El Toque de Aarón’
A chat about the new Spanish culinary series premiering on Discovery Familia and Hogar de HGTV
If you’re a foodie who loves supporting small businesses, then you won’t want to miss the latest culinary series, El Toque de Aarón. Premiering on April 17th at 10 p.m. E/P on Discovery Familia and on April 19th at 10:30 PM E/P. on Hogar de HGTV, this Spanish-language series is all about revitalizing and refreshing Latino restaurants in Los Angeles with the help of celebrity Chef Aarón Sánchez, interior designer Cris Mercado, and project manager Ángel Riveros.
“The show is more than just an entertaining show. It’s a celebration of Latin culture, and through mentorship and culinary expertise, we’re on a mission to help drive these businesses forward.” – Aarón Sánchez –
Running a restaurant is challenging and Chef Aarón Sánchez, co-star of “MasterChef” and currrent chef/owner of Johnny Sánchez in New Orleans is now leveraging his years of knowlege and lessons learned in the business to help others succeed. Instead of imposing changes on restaurants, El Toque de Aarón team caters to Latino sensibilities and listens to the owners and staff, offering tools and guidance to move forward while honoring the restaurant’s mission and legacy.
With his culinary experience, Cris’s design expertise, and Ángel’s know-how, together they are helping Latino restaurant owners get a total refresh that brings out the soul of their place with a revamped menu and a space that is sure to wow its customers, old and new.
Recently, HOLA! USA caught up with Chef Aarón to learn more about the show’s unique approach and why supporting Latino-owned businesses is so important. Sánchez told us stories about the family restaurants in the series, and of course talked food with us. He also shared that this project is particularly special for him because they produced it it in Spanish for the U.S. Hispanic community, which sets it apart from his other shows.
“It’s a significant distinction from the other shows I worked on because of my upbringing and growing up here in the States.” – Aarón Sánchez –
How do you feel about working with both chefs and owners in this show? Do you find it to be a rewarding experience?
Absolutely, I find it rewarding. There have been restaurant remodeling shows, but what makes our series unique is that we bring the Latino sensibility, how we speak to people and being respectful. It’s about honoring their mission and what these owners have done and created. We’re not telling them, “This is no good.” Instead, we’re telling them there are opportunities to change and update the aesthetic.
That’s why we have Cris, a fantastic designer, and Ángel, the project manager, who can come in there and contemporize the aesthetic of the restaurants. Then I come in and add a dish, and I’ll say, “This is what works well.” I also do a deep dive into their menu and ask them, “Do you really need 40 items on the menu?” From a cost and business standpoint, you could be more profitable if you shorten your offerings. Things like that are present throughout the whole series. It’s really neat to see a grandmother working with her granddaughter. They’re all in this together, trying to figure out how to keep this beautiful legacy of their family restaurant going.
Was it hard to give these owners honest feedback without them taking it personally? How did you find a balance between criticizing and inspiring them at the same time?
Yeah, absolutely. Well, I speak to everybody the way that I want to be spoken to. And our culture is about respect first, honesty, and hard work, all of those principles that really define a Latino.
Sometimes it was challenging, but again, I have an impact fund where I put Latino kids through culinary school and restaurants and where I teach that the word chef means a teacher at the end. So I always ask questions, as opposed to dictating. I’ll give you an example: I will come to an owner and say, “Tell me, do you like how that wall looks? Do you think it needs maybe a little paint job?” I’m not telling them what to do. And then, together, we can find a solution through the question process.
Was there a particular piece of advice or insight that you shared with the owners during the show that you believe was particularly impactful or valuable to them?
Yeah. You know, Latinos are so damn stubborn, and we want to do everything for ourselves and don’t ask for help. The biggest lesson we showed them was, hey, I don’t necessarily have the chops to do construction. I need help; you need help; we all need help. The lesson was that I brought a team together, and we all collectively helped to improve things instead of putting all that stressful burden only on myself.
“Our culture is about respect first, honesty, and hard work, all of those principles that really define a Latino.” – Aarón Sánchez –
Was there a moment from any of the six episodes that was super emotional and stuck out to you the most?
As Latinos, we are always about 15 seconds away from crying anywhere, myself included. A really big one was when we went to a beautiful ceviche place in Culver City, called CevicheStop. There, a young man that worked at this location with his family, was deeply moved when he saw the newly designed corner space with the restaurant’s new lights, diverse textures, and furnishings. Everyone, including the chef, the owners (Walther, his wife Diana), and the whole family, were in tears. Witnessing this emotional response had a big impact on me.
We also had great moments in a Venezuelan restaurant in Pasadena, Chamo, with the two “moms” who are key in the restaurant. The owner (Yesika) is a mom who worked hard to get her business going, is very passionate about her restaurant, and is proud of her Venezuelan heritage. Yesika’s mom, Perfecta, is the one who creates the recipes (her famous arepas!), and she also cooks there too. They both worked with us to incorporate Venezuelan culture into the remodeling. Things like having the logo and different Venezuelan phrases (chévere, rico, chamo, rumba) translated on the wall were challenging. Still, we knew it was done to teach and educate people about the culture through aesthetics and food.
“The experience was an emotional rollercoaster, something you don’t have to be Latino to identify with; it’s universal. These restaurants express all their hard work, legacy, and family story.” – Aarón Sánchez –
Now, lets talk food. From those six episodes, is there a specific item on the menu that was updated that is so good that you would recommend to everyone in L.A.?
Oh, that’s a good question. One we did at Chamo was really amazing. We brought in Mexican chorizo and infused those flavors into the sacred concept of arepas, which was really unique and delicious. And for the owners to be so open and willing to have this sort of fusion between Mexico and Venezuela, I just thought that was really cool. It’s like a beautiful combination of the two cultures.
You’re making me hungry!
This is an excellent example of one of the dishes we implemented that owners were excited about and will take off.
Oh, I can imagine...putting chorizo in a Venezuelan arepa is a bit uncommon.
Exactly. Especially Mexican-style chorizo. It has different seasonings. We use dried chili, and it’s a raw preparation, not cured or salted. It’s a whole different ballgame. I found it amazing that everybody was all about it and was open to this mesh of cultures.
Chef Aarón Sánchez also revealed that another great aspect of the show is its exploration of the diverse neighborhoods in Los Angeles, rather than solely focusing on the obvious Latino areas. This allowed the show to truly highlight the rich and multifaceted Latin food culture in the city, showcasing a range of Latin American backgrounds and experiences that may be new to many viewers. As Sánchez put it, “A defining factor that makes our show different is the idea about the community we’re exposing.”
He finished the conversation by praising all six locations featured on the show, describing each as “magical,” - with their own sparks - and sharing his appreciation for the COCINA Media and Discovery Familia teams, commending them for their efforts to showcase the beautiful mosaic of diverse Latin cultures present in Los Angeles.
Watch the trailer for El Toque de Aarón & don’t miss the premier!
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