[FEMALE NARRATOR] Funding
for Overheard with Evan Smith
is provided in part
by Hillco Partners,
a Texas government
affairs consultancy,
Claire and Carl Stuart,
and by Laura and John Beckworth,
Hobby Family Foundation.
[EVAN SMITH] I'm Evan Smith.
He's a celebrated
chef, restaurateur,
and TV personality, whose memoir
"Where I Come From, Life
Lessons From a Latino Chef"
has just been published.
He's Aarón Sánchez,
this is Overheard.
[SMITH] Let's be honest, is
this about the ability to learn
or is this about the experience
of not having been
taught properly?
How have you avoided
what has befallen other
nations in Africa?
You could say that
he made his own bed,
but you caused him
to sleep in it.
You know, you saw a problem
and over time, took it on.
Let's start with the sizzle
before we get to the steak.
Are you gonna run for president?
I think I just got an
F from you, actually.
This is Overheard.
(audience applause)
[SMITH] Aarón Sánchez, welcome.
[AARÓN SÁNCHEZ] Thank
you for having me.
[SMITH] And congratulations.
[SÁNCHEZ] Thank you.
[SMITH] This is a
book that, look,
it has some recipes, full
disclosure, a couple of recipes,
but it's really
a book about you,
and it helps us understand a
little bit more your journey.
Why did you decide
to write this book?
[SÁNCHEZ] Well I think, for me,
I wanted to catalog this
journey that I've been on.
I think right now,
more than ever,
there's a huge interest in chefs
and taking them out of the
context of their kitchen,
knowing who we are as people.
[SMITH] Individuals.
[SÁNCHEZ] Individuals.
[SMITH] And their stories.
[SÁNCHEZ] Absolutely, 'cause
for many years, you know,
my mom's generation of chefs,
we were forgotten people
that were behind the
scenes, behind doors.
And now, people are more
interested than ever
to see what makes us tic, what
are some of the influences
that allow our food to
flourish and progress.
And that's why I thought
that this would be a
good time to do that.
[SMITH] Well, I love the fact
that people in your position,
not just you, there are
many others we could name,
but let's just talk
about you for a second,
are brands in and of themselves.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah.
[SMITH] So that if Aarón
Sánchez opens up a restaurant,
I'm apt to go, even if I don't
know what kind of food it is,
even if I haven't
tried the food,
simply because, if you
do it, I'm following you.
Once upon a time
that wasn't the case,
you didn't follow chefs.
You might have followed
restaurant brands,
but it was about the food.
[SÁNCHEZ] Absolutely.
[SMITH] And that's
been a big change.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, and I
think that really comes with
a huge source of
pressure for us as chefs
to continue to
redefine ourselves
and create reasons for people
to come in and eat our food.
So, I always struggle with
the idea of making enough time
to be able to travel and
seek out these mentors
and these wise sages
in the food world,
to continue my evolution.
So when I open a restaurant,
it's something
fresh, it's inviting,
it comes from a narrative
that's something different
from what I've done prior.
[SMITH] Well, of course, the
down side is, if a restaurant,
if you only follow a restaurant
and you go to a restaurant
that's not good,
you don't go back
to that restaurant.
If I'm following a brand, and
the restaurant's not good,
well buddy, that's on you.
So you know, long
way up the mountain,
long way down the mountain.
[SÁNCHEZ] Absolutely,
and that's--
[SMITH] You take on that
greater responsibility.
[SÁNCHEZ] And purposely,
that's why I try
not to expand too quickly,
'cause I don't want
to use this platform
that I've been so blessed
to have, and exploit that,
and then disappoint people when
they come to the restaurant
and I'm not there.
[SMITH] So this book
announces itself
at the beginning pretty
well as to its intentions.
I want to ask you about
two things you said.
One thing is you said that
"This book and your life, exists
as a collision of your cultural
and personal identity."
Explain what you mean by that.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, you know,
I'm a Mexican American kid
from El Paso, Texas.
[SMITH] El Paso, Texas.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, so
I'm a proud Texan.
[SMITH] Yeah.
[SÁNCHEZ] Absolutely.
(audience applause)
But growing up in both cultures,
I speak perfect Spanish
and perfect English,
and trying to figure
out where I fit,
as far as being able to share
who I am with other people
has always been a struggle.
Growing up in a place
like New York City,
I moved there when I
was eight years old,
I always felt like
where I came from
was something foreign to people
'cause New York is
very Caribbean Latino,
there's Puerto Ricans, there's
Cubans, there's Dominicans,
and I felt like I
was struggling--
[SMITH] Well, people assume
that everybody who
has Hispanic origins,
but everyone also assumes
that it's the same.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yes.
[SMITH] But in fact,
it's quite different.
[SÁNCHEZ] Of course, it's
nuanced, it's very different,
and I just, for me,
going into the kitchens,
and then seeing the work force,
and the people that
really allow kitchens
to survive and proliferate,
I felt like I was home.
But then, when I came out
and I started doing
things on television,
and people were starting
to get to know who I was,
I wanted to make sure that
I stayed real and authentic.
And that's where--
[SMITH] And make sure
that your identity
was not absorbed
in the industry.
I mean, one of the
things about this being,
not just life
lessons from a chef,
but life lessons
from a Latino chef.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yes.
[SMITH] Is that you're
taking on the responsibility
of putting that Latino
experience front and center,
and giving other people
something that they can think,
"Well, if he does
it, I can do it."
You've been a big advocate
for diversity in the
food industry, right?
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, I mean, whether
it's my scholarship fund,
where I put young Latino
kids into culinary school.
Up to this point,
we have six kids currently
enrolled in my scholarship
and they're succeeding,
and they're doing so well.
But I also--
[SMITH] Or just
hiring, making certain
that diversity is reflected
in the restaurants, right?
[SÁNCHEZ] And I
think more than ever,
young second and third
generation Latinos
are in this huge mission
to recover their roots,
and get back to where they are
and where their parents and
their grandparents are from.
[SMITH] Well, I love the fact
that you also say in this book,
"I'm a Latino with a platform."
And so really, your success
is going to be
judged to some degree
by what do you do with that?
'Cause not everybody got the
same opportunity that you have.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah,
you know, and again,
you're talking
about the platform,
and I think it's safe to say
we're talking about television,
and I think--
[SMITH] Although, not
only, but yes, largely.
[SÁNCHEZ] My mentor was Paul
Prudhomme. And Paul Prudhomme
was one of the most
recognizable chefs
in the country, in the world,
by going to book festivals, and
going to the Fancy Food Show
and shaking hands, and
making himself available.
[SMITH] Not waiting for
people to come to him
but going to them.
[SÁNCHEZ] Exactly.
[SMITH] So let's come
to that in a second,
'cause I want to talk
about the personal stuff.
The second thing at the
beginning of this book,
I think announces
it, is you said,
"Food is the purest
reflection of Latino culture,
"or of Mexican culture."
Talk about that, I mean, it
seems self-evident to me,
but it bears saying,
how important food
is to that emerging,
and in our part of
the world, Texas,
we have an emerging
Hispanic majority.
We understand Hispanic
culture a little bit better
than places like
Idaho, say, or Vermont.
Food is at the center
of so much of that,
talk about that and why that
is a driver of this story.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, I think
it's very safe to say
that we all commune
around the dinner table
and the kitchen table.
The way I grew up, I grew
up in a matriarchal family.
So it was my grandmother,
cookbook author,
my mom, doyen of Mexican
food, cookbook author,
and then me.
So, for me, I think food
is the most honest
expression of our culture,
'cause it's something
that is passed down.
[SMITH] And it's a through line.
[SÁNCHEZ] It's a through line.
[SMITH] So let's talk about,
your mother is Zarela Martinez.
She was a famous food person,
before we knew Aarón Sánchez
as a famous food person,
your mother really, a
generation ago, was a big deal.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, my mom--
[SMITH] And moved you, as
you said, born in El Paso,
moved you to New
York at age eight.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yes, to go
seek out her own dreams.
[SMITH] Her own career, right.
[SÁNCHEZ] And you can imagine,
she was a divorced
woman with twin boys
and she was a caterer
and a social worker.
Was completely open to the
idea of changing her life,
and she wanted her
name in lights.
She went to Louisiana,
to New Orleans,
met chef Paul Prudhomme.
He said, "I have some
friends that own a restaurant
"called Tavern on the
Green in New York City",
which was the highest
grossing restaurant
in the United States
for 30 years straight.
[SMITH] This generation
doesn't understand
how important Tavern on
the Green was, right?
[SÁNCHEZ] Yes, it was right
there across, in Central Park.
The owner was Warner LeRoy,
who lived in the Dakota, two
stories down from John Lennon.
So I used to hang out with
Sean Lennon, John Lennon's son,
and Max LeRoy.
And Max LeRoy and I
went to school together,
as well as Sean Lennon.
So just to give you an idea
of how important New
York was at that time.
[SMITH] El Paso is great,
but that's something
that you can't,
right, I love El Paso, but you
love El Paso, I love El Paso,
but you can't get
that in El Paso.
[SÁNCHEZ] No, not at all.
So, basically, my mom
was given the opportunity
to cook at Tavern on the Green,
and that's how she was availed
and presented to New York.
[SMITH] So that's the
environment you grow up in.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah.
[SMITH] And then, at age
16, she sends you down
to work alongside Chef
Paul in New Orleans.
And that's your first
introduction, really,
to that world in a serious way.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yes, I knew about
great Mexican food at home
and through my family,
but I didn't know the
professional side of it.
I sadly lost my father when I
was 13, reacted poorly to it,
was completely
adversarial to authority
and all those things.
[SMITH] She needed to
slap you upside the head.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, and
she needed to get right.
And my mom called Chef
Paul Prudhomme, she goes,
"This boy has some talent,
but we need to break him."
(audience laughs)
"And we need to, like, and
there's a great word in Spanish
called "amansado".
So when a horse is, you can't
put the saddle on the horse,
it needs to be "amansado."
And the same thing applies
for a cast iron skillet.
When a cast iron skillet
needs to be broken in,
you have to "amansarlo,"
and that's what I needed,
I needed to be broken in.
[SMITH] You've been in
the restaurant business,
in one form or another,
for a very long time.
As a chef, as an
upper level employee,
learning the business then
running your own businesses,
and you've been at places
that were important,
Patria, and Paladar,
and all these different
places over time.
How has the business,
in those years, changed?
[SÁNCHEZ] Oh, I mean we can
go on another show about it,
but just really, I think
what's changed exponentially,
especially in New York City,
that if a young kid worked
for me as a sous chef,
and wanted to strike
out on their own
and open their own restaurant.
In New York City,
the restaurants used to be
handed down to one another,
but what's happened
in major cities is,
those restaurants
are being demolished,
and we're getting
another pharmacy,
we're getting
another Chase Bank,
so it's nearly impossible--
[SMITH] Opportunity is
narrower than it was.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, it's
nearly impossible
for a young person to
strike out on their own
without enormous amounts
of capital resource.
So that's what I've seen
that's changed, hugely,
is that it's really hard for
an independent operator chef
to strike out on their own.
[SMITH] But, there
are obviously,
this generation's
independent operators,
people who want to do this,
people who have talent,
we'll talk about this
in a couple of minutes,
but the food culture
in this country,
as a consequence of food
television, I'm convinced,
has completely blown up.
Everybody wants to
be Aarón Sánchez,
everybody wants to
be Jeffrey Zakarian,
everybody wants to
be Marcus Samuelsson,
you guys are the
new celebrities,
and people want to emulate you.
So if the opportunity doesn't
exist in the big cities
to follow in your footsteps,
where are they being pushed
down to or pushed out to?
[SMITH] That's a
very good question.
I think you're starting to see
the phenomenon with food trucks.
Now we have all these
market halls where people,
young chefs that
are very talented,
open their little stalls
within a big market,
and the idea that that
somehow it translates
to a brick and mortar.
So I think the secondary
cities are gonna start to see
a lot of chefs from big cities
go there and strike out.
[SMITH] That's exactly
where I was going,
and I think that ultimately,
maybe this is a positive
for the rest of the country.
You no longer have
to be a coastal elite
to enjoy the benefits
of high cuisine,
or of these kind
of entrepreneurial,
innovative, young chefs.
Because if they can't be
in New York or Los Angeles,
maybe they're
opening a restaurant
in Columbus or in Charlotte.
And honestly, to come back to
food television for a second,
when I see all these chefs
competing on the shows
that you either host,
or where you're a
judge, often as not,
they're from these secondary
or tertiary markets,
and I'm like, "They have
a restaurant like that
"in blank, in Akron?"
Now they do.
[SÁNCHEZ] Absolutely,
and to your point
is that food television
is creating an awareness
for these markets,
'cause it translates
messages right away.
So now, subsequently,
you have markets
that are presenting good sea
salt, and great olive oil,
and people are
understanding the importance
of knowing where your
ingredients come from,
and that is having
an overall effect,
to these secondary markets.
[SMITH] That's actually
really interesting also,
that the supermarket culture
of this country has also,
on a parallel
track, transformed.
And so, that
sourcing ingredients,
which might have been
harder once upon a time.
I mean, I want to say, in a
kind of lazy Austin-centric way,
well there's a Whole Foods
in places all over
the country now,
so you can just go get
higher level ingredients,
but it's not just the
Whole Foods of the world,
basically those ingredients,
because of the access
on the internet,
you can get stuff delivered
now in a day or two,
you have a different opportunity
then you once a upon a time did.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, and that's why
I'm exasperated at the idea,
when a chef says, "I'm
all about farm to table".
I'm like, "Dude,
that's not a novelty,
"it's been happening since
the beginning of time."
You know what I mean?
[SMITH] You may be aware of
it, but we, for the first time.
[SÁNCHEZ] That's how
it usually worked,
you know what I mean?
Find the ingredients
closest to you,
manipulate them the
least, and let them--
[SMITH] We're all
locavores buddy, that's it.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah. Or the
other one I love is,
"chef-driven restaurant,"
as opposed to a
dishwasher-driven restaurant?
(audience laughs)
We get infatuated with
these little terms,
you know, umami and
all these things.
I'm like, umami is
like rotten mushrooms,
like that's what
that flavor is, okay,
just to throw it out there,
you know what I mean?
[SMITH] Back to this idea
that the nice end of the
difficulty in the big cities
is that other places are now
getting these big restaurants.
Probably there was a time
when you couldn't get
good Mexican food,
high quality, high
level Mexican food,
in a place like
New Orleans, right?
[SÁNCHEZ] Oh, and
even in New York,
we got to New York in 1982,
my mom, do you guys
remember the Foder's guides?
[SMITH] Yeah, the
hotel, restaurant guide?
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah,
I remember my mom
read it to us when we got there,
she goes, "Mexican
food in New York City
"has a striking resemblance
"what a howling
monkey has to man."
That's how bad it was.
[SMITH] Seriously, wow!
I would describe
that as a bad review.
(Aaron laughs)
[SMITH] If you're bringing
up the howling monkey,
you've got a problem.
So, but that's different today.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yes, and
it's changed a lot.
You know, it's interesting,
New Orleans in particular
has become very Mexican
as of the last 10 years,
'cause when Katrina hit
New Orleans, the hurricane,
there was a huge influx
of Mexican-Americans,
and Mexicans from Texas,
to help with the
rebuild of the city.
[SMITH] And then they stayed.
[SÁNCHEZ] And they stayed.
[SMITH] Do you enjoy
being a restaurant owner
or a chef more?
[SÁNCHEZ] Chef, 100%.
[SMITH] So then
why don't you stop,
well then get out of
the restaurant business,
just go back to the kitchen?
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, well you
know, it's interesting,
now I've gotten
smarter after 25 years,
but I have people
that work with me,
they don't work for
me, they work with me.
I hate the word my
team, my this, my that.
It's like, "No, no, we're
all in this together."
So I have people that
have those set of skills
that allow us to offer all
of us to be successful.
[SMITH] So do you still cook?
[SÁNCHEZ] Absolutely.
[SMITH] If I got to Johnny
Sanchez in New Orleans,
will I taste food that
your hands have been on?
[SÁNCHEZ] You know, to
be honest, not every time,
but if you came in and you said,
"Hey, Aarón, I want you to
make me something special,"
I would do it, absolutely.
[SMITH] Would I be more likely
to taste your food
in your restaurant
then say Wolfgang Puck's food?
I mean, the fact is, all
these big brand names
are so far removed
from the process
of actually making the
food at this point, right?
It's all more
vision and business.
But you're still staying
connected to the food,
I guess that's what I'm asking.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, you
know, I mean for me,
look, the idea is that,
yes, television is great,
and I'm this brand,
and I'm this and that,
but I sleep good at night
because I have a set of skills
that no one will
ever take from me.
[SMITH] And if TV goes away,
and if the restaurant
business goes away,
at the end of the day,
you can go into the
kitchen tomorrow--
[SÁNCHEZ] And
support my family.
[SMITH] Support your
family, make a living,
and frankly support us
by making good food.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yes.
[SMITH] That's the point.
But fortunately TV
has not gone away,
and so I want to
ask you about that.
So one day you wake up,
and all of a sudden,
you're on every show
on The Food Network.
I mean literally it feels like.
"Top Chef,"
"MasterChef," "Chopped,"
"Taco Trip," you were
the host of that.
[SÁNCHEZ] "Heat
Seekers," "Chef vs. City."
[SMITH] All of this stuff.
How has that been for you?
What has that been like?
And is that mostly like acting,
or is it really a positive
experience for you?
Are you getting
something out of it?
I know we're getting out of it,
but are you getting
something out of it?
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah,
I mean, you know,
initially when I started
to go on The Food Network,
I remember I was, it's
well stated in the book,
which I'm sure all
of you will pick up,
that I got asked to
do a segment called
"In Food Today with
Donna Hanover",
who was Rudy Giuliani's
ex-wife at the time.
I went on there to do a show,
they had me there
for Cinco De Mayo.
They pronounced
it Cinco De May-o,
so you know, just to
show you how bad it was.
[SMITH] Well done.
[SÁNCHEZ] So once
that happened,
they asked me back
to do other segments.
I used it as a marketing
tool, initially.
That's what I wanted to happen,
I wanted butts in seats,
I want to use this
platform to get people,
create awareness
of my restaurants.
And then, the
message has changed.
Now I'm transmitting messages
to people that live in Idaho
about chipotle peppers and
about how, what Quinceanera is,
and how we come together
and we make tamales during
Christmas as Mexicans.
Now, the television,
when used for that
medium and that tool,
becomes a very powerful,
cultural exchange.
And that's where
I'm at with it now.
[SMITH] You're teaching
all of us about food,
and how we can eat
better and cook better.
And on these shows that are
more you out in the field,
you're identifying places
that we might then say,
"Oh, I'm gonna go there
the next time I'm there."
So you're creating business,
you're creating
opportunity for us,
but on a show like
"Chopped", just to pick that,
you mentioned to me
before we came out here,
you were on show number one.
[SÁNCHEZ] And now
we're talking 600 shows
that they've done.
[SMITH] Of "Chopped".
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, 15 years.
[SMITH] That's been a
positive experience for you?
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, you
know, to be honest,
I think I got chopped
from "Chopped,"
'cause now I focus
primarily on "MasterChef,"
and this is a silly--
[SMITH] Just say,
"I've graduated".
[SÁNCHEZ] I've graduated.
[SMITH] I've graduated.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah,
exactly, I've graduated,
and the thing is that,
you know there's
this silly thing that
if you work on one competition
show, you can't do another,
and there's all this
sort of competition.
[SMITH] But clearly that
was a big part of your life
for a long time.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yes,
"Chopped" was great,
'cause for me, the idea is that
I wanted to make people better.
I remember when I was
criticized as a young cook,
and I understood the value
of that little butt kicking,
and I'm trying to do that
in a very intellectual
and concise manner with people
that are professionals at it.
You know, people on "Chopped"
are quote-unquote professionals.
Where on "Masterchef,"
they're amateurs
striving to be better.
[SMITH] By design.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yes, exactly.
[SMITH] So let me ask you, as
a long time "Chopped" viewer,
let me ask you a question,
is that food really good
when you say it's good?
Like if they give
somebody a basket
and it's like a carburetor,
an asparagus stalk,
and Vegenaise, now go
and make something.
And then they make something,
they do their best,
and then they give it to you
and you go, "Wow, this is good".
Is it really good, honestly?
[SÁNCHEZ] Well, I think,
(audience laughs)
no, and by the way, you're
not putting me on the spot,
I think what you will
always hear me say
is that it's not necessarily
a very fluid concept,
but what I do is that I focus
on the good elements of it.
So using the carburetor,
I really liked the way
you made that vinegarette,
you know what I mean?
But I'm not saying that
all this made sense.
[SMITH] TBH, carburetor
vinegarette is delicious,
you know that, always.
My point is, I sometimes
see these competition shows,
"Chopped" is an example,
but not the only,
and they say do this.
And these people do this,
and then the judges, who
are professional chefs say,
"Wow, that's great,"
what really they're doing is
giving the an A for effort.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, well, I think--
[SMITH] Not always
an A for quality.
[SÁNCHEZ] Part of it is that,
being a chef is so
reputation based.
So when I'm over there,
and I'm saying that this
person is reputable,
and they have great
food, and they win,
and then their restaurant
closes a year later,
then that looks poorly on me.
So, we do take a lot of time
to really understand
who's worthy of winning,
who's worthy of not winning,
but for me, I'm always honest,
I tell people the way it is,
and I speak to people the
way I want to be spoken to.
So I don't berate people,
I don't put them down.
[SMITH] Well, you are
always encouraging.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, but
people shut down,
they old way of bring them up
and then break them
down a little bit,
and people respond
better to that.
[SMITH] Is it good
that food culture,
we talked about this
a little bit earlier,
has been elevated so
much in this country
by the presence of these
networks and these shows?
Is this a good
thing, ultimately?
[SÁNCHEZ] Well, I think
it has two levels to it,
I think now you have kids
going into this food world
'cause they want to be me, and
they see this fast ascension,
but it's not a fast ascension,
it actually took me
20 years to get here.
[SMITH] We don't see
the part that was hard,
where you were probably
on the verge of thinking,
"I need to go do
something else."
[SÁNCHEZ] You know,
guess where you find
all those stories at, Evan?
[SMITH] In this book.
[SÁNCHEZ] Oh my Lord,
right over there (laughs).
[SMITH] Yeah, you know,
you understand, right.
[SÁNCHEZ] But the idea
is, you know it's funny
because I go to all
of our young cooks
that start into this industry,
and they're doing something
very benign and monotonous
like peeling fava beans
or cleaning chilies,
and I go to them and I say,
"I promise you this
is gonna pay off."
"I promise you, as long as
you do what's necessary."
'Cause sadly, 80% of people
that go into kitchens
do the bare minimum to get by,
but the 20% that excel and
get recognized, move up quick.
[SMITH] And these are
the ones who go beyond.
[SÁNCHEZ] Exactly.
[SMITH] Because they understand
the importance of this.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, get in
there early, stay late,
engage the chefs, be like,
"What else do I need to do?"
Go volunteer your time
to do the food events that
we do constantly on the side.
[SMITH] Well, this is the old
Paul Prudhomme origins, right?
[SÁNCHEZ] Yes, exactly.
[SMITH] Be a presence,
be every place,
don't wait for them to
come to you, go to them.
You put in the work,
you're gonna be rewarded
on the back end.
[SÁNCHEZ] Absolutely.
[SMITH] So speaking of
rewards on the back end,
so people understand, this
is not just your story,
but there are recipes
sprinkled throughout.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yes.
[SMITH] And they're
really good recipes.
And I wanted to end,
as we have a couple of
minutes left, on that.
So when your friend
Marcus Samuelsson
was on the show a
couple years ago,
we talked about his book,
and we talked about
his restaurants,
and then I said to him,
"I can't have you here
"without asking you a
basic cooking question."
So I said, "What is the secret
to making a good hamburger?"
And he went through
this whole thing,
and it was actually fascinating.
It was obvious as could be,
but I was like,
"Duh, of course."
So, give us a basic--
[SÁNCHEZ] Taco recipe.
[SMITH] A basic tip, something,
something that we should know,
something that we can take
into the kitchen and go,
"Aarón Sánchez said do this
"and it transformed,
in a very basic way,
"my ability to
make a great taco,
"or great Mexican
food, or anything."
[SÁNCHEZ] Oh my God, I
could give you 25 of them,
but I'll give you one
basic one that's, you know,
so if you cook a steak,
I know beef is king
here in Texas, right?
You should always rest your meat
for the amount of time
that you cooked it, right?
[SMITH] So an hour,
rest it an hour.
Cook it an hour,
rest it an hour.
[SÁNCHEZ] Maybe if
you're doing a brisket,
but if you're cooking a
16-ounce New York strip
and you cook it for 8
minutes on each side,
you have to let it rest
for the same amount of
time that you cooked it.
So 16 minutes, it
will stay warm.
[SMITH] Why does that
make a difference?
[SÁNCHEZ] Because
what happens is,
all the juices go
back inside the meat
and they don't run off.
And then also, take
your steak out,
let it come to room temperature,
any meat for that matter.
'Cause you're taking
it from 40 degrees
onto a hot grill at 500,
and you want that
medium rare, right?
What's the inside gonna be?
Cold, so you want it to
come to room temperature,
let those proteins relax, right?
Another one is that you can
always put a little bit of oil
on the outside of your grilled
meats, or chicken, or fish,
so that allows the
seasoning to adhere,
'cause you'll lose
about 60% of seasoning
when you just throw it kind
of willy nilly on your steak,
but the oil will allow it
to stick to the actual
protein and adhere.
[SMITH] You make
your own tortillas
at Johnny Sanchez, right?
[SÁNCHEZ] Of course, of course.
[SMITH] So for those of us
that don't have the benefit
of being able to make our
own tortillas at home,
what is your secret to getting
tortillas in the right shape
to prepare tacos, or to be
eaten in some other way,
outside of a restaurant kitchen?
[SÁNCHEZ] Well, flour or corn
are two different animals,
but when you're
talking about flour,
I mean corn for instance,
you want to use a
little tortilla press,
make sure that you
use like a scooper,
to make the masa, the dough,
use an ice cream scooper,
and that way two ounce, you
have the same consistent amount
of masa per the tortilla.
[SMITH] It's not as hard
as the uninitiated,
the untrained might think.
[SÁNCHEZ] No, not at all.
[SMITH] And it's always better.
[SÁNCHEZ]
Absolutely, everything
"hecho a mano"
or made by hand, is
always more beautiful, no?
That's why grandma's
food is always the best
'cause grandmas are
never in a rush, right?
[SMITH] She doesn't buy
that stuff at the store,
she actually makes it at home.
[SÁNCHEZ] Yeah, do you ever
see your grandmother move fast?
Not mine.
[SMITH] No, not mine, no.
(audience laughs)
[SÁNCHEZ] It's awesome,
so that little beans
in that little pot
has all day to simmer, and
percolate, and get happy,
that's what it's about.
[SMITH] Well, sadly, we have
moved fast through our time.
I want to tell you,
the book is great,
people should buy it, read it,
understand your story,
take lessons from it,
but beyond that, you're
a really nice guy.
And I appreciate the fact,
(audience applause)
I appreciate the fact that
somebody who worked his way up,
became this famous
guy, still seems
like the guy I would have met
if he'd stayed in El Paso.
[SÁNCHEZ] Oh, thank you,
that's a huge compliment.
[SMITH] It means a
lot that you're still
kinda keeping it
real, which is great.
Aarón Sánchez,
thank you so much.
[SÁNCHEZ] Thank you for
having me, you honor me.
[SMITH] Give him a big hand.
(audience applause)
[SMITH] We'd love to have
you join us in the studio.
Visit our website at
klru.org/overheard
to find invitations
to interviews, Q and As with
our audience and guests,
and an archive of past episodes.
[SÁNCHEZ] What culinary
schools need to do
is they need to give
you a base curriculum
to learn the basics
like the stocks,
the sauces, knife
work, etcetera,
and then you should be
allowed to specialize
in your niche in the food world.
'Cause now you can
be a personal chef,
a food stylist,
recipe developer,
you can be all these different
people in the food world,
without having to work in
a restaurant like I have.
[NARRATOR] Funding for
Overheard with Evan Smith
is provided in part
by Hillco Partners,
a Texas government
affairs consultancy,
Claire and Carl Stuart,
and by Laura and John Beckworth,
Hobby Family Foundation.
(flute notes)