Where I Come From

Life Lessons from a Latino Chef

By: Aarón Sánchez

Narrated by: Aarón Sánchez

Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

America’s most prominent Latino chef shares the story behind his food, his family, and his professional journey

Before Chef Aaron Sanchez rose to fame on shows like 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 Mexican cuisine to the New York City dining scene. In many ways, Sanchez, 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, Sanchez 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. Sanchez 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 Sanchez’s highly personal account of a fatherless Latino kid whose talent and passion took him to the top of his profession.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Roux, Inc. (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

Wonderful insight

Wonderful insight into a Mexican American Chef. Thank you Chef for being vulnerable by letting us in to your personal life, struggles, and enlightenment.

A Love Letter

Chef Aarón writes a beautiful, vulnerable, love letter of his heritage and his passion for using food to learn from, educate, and most important, care for others.

The same as on TV

if you enjoy watching this author when he is on TV, then you will enjoy this book. There are times when you can tell is not a professional voice actor, but hearing his story in his own words and voice is still an enjoyable combination.

Worth the listen

He is a true storyteller, with a sense of humor and a deep appreciation of food, family, and his path. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

great story

inspirational and enlightening. felt like like I was sitting at a bar and catching up with a friend.

Excellent Articulate Author

I enjoyed this book immensely. I would have liked to have fewer ‘f’ words but realize sadly that it must be ‘chef’ talk.
I hated to have the book end, but the positive message came through.
I am excited to see what the future holds for Sánchez.

Totally surprised and blown away by this book.

Better than I expected. One if the few biographies that has left a mark on my life. Excellent.

Well Written and Narrated

I can't fault Aaron Sanchez's writing or narration. He tells a story about moving from El Paso to New York as a 6-year-old boy, growing up in and around his mother's thriving restaurant, and his journey from a punk teenager to a successful chef and TV personality. Sanchez is an experienced performer and does a top job of narration, always sounding like he's telling rather than reading his story. I was unfamiliar with Aaron Sanchez before getting this book, figuring it would be a good human interest piece. I found, however, that I simply was not that interested in cooking, the restaurant business, the food industry or TV shows about preparing meals. I can recommend the book to anyone with a strong interest in those subjects, but others are likely to have my good-but-not-great reaction.

A great bio

The story itself is engaging though some of the segments would have better have been lead by a time frame reference. Sometimes it feels a bit like the author was advised to lump experiences as categories without layering them in a general timeline for easy reference.

When he was reliving certain milestones I often found myself wondering “When” he was talking about. But aside from that it’s a great shared experience story.

Also the narration was my least favorite part, there’s obvious moments that he was sitting further from the mike, clearer voices and they pepper the book throughout moments of himself sounding very close, very gruff and very tired. A professional reader with an accent would have been better if he was concerned about an authentic sound OC audiobook and the decision to read wasn’t a financial decision.

Aaron is the best!!

Loved it, was already a follower before listening to the book. you can tell he's a deep person from watching him. thanks for sharing your story! I needed some inspiration <3