01 October 2019

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

review of Where I Come From by Aarón SánchezYou’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.

10 comments:

bermudaonion 10/1/19, 8:21 AM  

A memoir with food? Sounds terrific to me!

rhapsodyinbooks 10/1/19, 8:36 AM  

I agree with Kathy. And the quote about "Cinnamon. Chocolate, Chile" now has me craving Taza chocolate discs, for the combo of all three!

Laurel-Rain Snow 10/1/19, 8:41 AM  

Yum! This one sounds delicious, and I'm definitely curious. Thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog.

Nise' 10/1/19, 10:35 AM  

Sounds like a good read to me.

sherry fundin 10/1/19, 10:42 AM  

mr wonderful does the cooking in our home and loves to watch some food shows, so i am familiar with some of them. we did get to see guy when he came to pensacola
sherry @ fundinmental

SuziQoregon 10/1/19, 11:04 AM  

I've always liked him. I might have to get this. I hope there's going to be an audio edition.

Daryl 10/1/19, 11:30 AM  

not my cuppa but it does sound interesting

Girl Who Reads 10/1/19, 3:26 PM  

I don't usually read celebrity memoirs, but just from watching him on Master Chef I've wondered about his story. So I might have to pick up this book.

Jackie McGuinness 10/2/19, 3:52 PM  

I've always been a fan of his. He comes across as a sincere person. I will look for this book.

SuziQoregon 11/12/19, 1:12 PM  

Wahoo! Just got an email from Audible. The audio edition will be released in December. Pre-ordered that one immediately.

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