Today's Read: Where I Come From by Aaron Sanchez

You’ve seen Aarón Sánchez on the Food Channel and on Top Chef, and you may have even eaten at one of his restaurants, but what do you know about Sánchez the man? His new memoir (out today), gives us some insight.

Sánchez starts his story by describing a scene from his first on-location film trip for the Food Network, when he was only 24 years old, nearly two decades ago:

Introduction

Cinnamon. Chocolate, Chile. I’d tasted them hundreds, thousands of times. But never had these flavors seemed so profound as they did to me one night long ago in a Oaxacan cemetery. So grounding to the world around me. To the earth.

—Where I Come From by Aarón Sánchez (Abrams Books, Oct. 1, p. ix)

Quick Facts

• Genre: culinary memoir
• What it's about: Sánchez's story is about way more than how a poor kid from El Paso became one of the Food Network stars. One aspect is the story of his family and Texas roots and a loving tribute to his strong, capable mother who moved to New York City with her six-year-old twin boys to pursue a career as a chef, cook, caterer, or whatever she could find. It's also a story that crosses paths with other famous chefs and that champions women and people of color. Sánchez also talks about his losses, struggles with depression, and coping with fame . . . and, of course, food and cooking.
• My thoughts so far: I'm not quite a third of the way through Where I Come From, but I can already tell you that the more I read, the more I like Sánchez. The book is well written, and his passion for his family and for food comes across clearly. We also get a sense of his unique place in the Latino world: Mexican by heritage, Texan by birth, New Yorker by breeding, and New Orleanian by choice. I can't wait to finish this book.
• Extra things to know: Sánchez's memoir includes a handful of recipes, one of which I hope to make this week (I'll post a photo if I do) and a few others have caught my attention. I didn't find any audiobook information, but I wanted to point out that the print book contains only one photo, so you wouldn't miss anything if you chose the audio route. See below for a clip of Sánchez on Live with Kelly and Ryan, in which he talks about his book and makes one of the included recipes.
• Acknowledgments: Thanks to Abrams Books and the Abrams Dinner Party for the review copy of Where I Come From by Aarón Sánchez.