Five Questions For…Chef Aarón Sánchez

By Kathleen Furore

But perhaps his most lasting, legacy-building contribution is the Aarón Sánchez Impact Fund, launched in 2016 to empower Latino youth with full culinary scholarships, hands-on training, and career mentorship.

el Restaurante editor Kathleen Furore spoke with Sánchez about the fund's origins and its evolution into a partnership with the Emeril Lagasse Foundation.

1. What prompted you to launch the Aarón Sánchez Scholarship? What was the idea behind that effort?

It stemmed from the idea of trying to understand my success. Saying I felt unworthy sounds kind of weird, but I realized that my family had helped me build such a beautiful life and I wanted to make sure I gave something back. Initially the goal was to help young Latinos get into the culinary world in New York City.

At that time, we were working with the French Institute Culinary School in New York (today it is the Institute of Culinary Education) to help with cost. We couldn’t have put anyone through without that help.

Our youth, the next generation of Latinos, they’re our most valuable commodity...and I didn’t want a lack of access to education to be a problem. I wanted to help create a balanced playing field so everyone has a shot if they are willing to work hard and have the dedication.

2. You became very involved in the New Orleans culinary scene and moved the program from New York to NOLA. What impact did that have?

The transition after New York was very important. I lived in New Orleans, so I was connected with that culinary community. I grew up in New York City and could argue that that is the most important food city — but the oldest one is New Orleans. The tradition and history are so rich, and I wanted these young kids we were working with to understand it.

I have a lot of friends in New Orleans, including Emeril and the Brennan family. So, the idea was to work with them, connect with the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute (NOCHI), and have the scholarship winners shepherded within NOCHI. It really broadened the scope of the program.

3. How did the partnership with the Emeril Lagasse Foundation develop?

I was introduced to Emeril more than 20 years ago through the Food Network connection. I consider him an uncle figure — someone I really admire. So, after I had contacted like-minded friends about my idea for the Aarón Sánchez Scholarship Fund and it started to get traction, I contacted the president of the Foundation and started to work it out. The Foundation has supported the Aarón Sánchez Scholarship Fund since its inception, and the official partnership was formalized in 2022. That established the Aarón Sánchez Impact Fund as an official program of the Foundation.

4. How has the Foundation’s involvement impacted the program? And what role do you personally play?

The beautiful thing is that since we partnered with Emeril, we’ve been able to grow the scholarship and refine it. Now we conduct a nationwide search once a year and go through an extensive interview and multi-layered vetting process that is unique and highly competitive. We strive for excellence. We accept six kids per cohort, and are recruiting seven starting this October. The cost is $65,000 per student, and now we can offer more assistance for tuition, housing and all costs of the internship.

We’ve also been able to expand into Human Services Grants for nonprofits serving Latino youth across the country. The grants provide

programmatic support up to $20,000 per grant to eligible non-profit organizations focusing on nutrition education and/or food access for Latino youth.

One example is the gap funding we were able to provide for a California school system that was expanding a food bank for its middle school students. That funding allowed them to pour the concrete, finish construction, and triple the amount of nutritious food they could offer.

The Fund has awarded over $2 million in culinary arts scholarships and other grants since its inception.

My job is to mentor and tap into my network of like-minded peers and colleagues for internships — something customized to each student’s path. We ask the students to identify their personal goals — sports nutrition, recipe development, personal chef — it’s a broad scope. Then we try to place them accordingly. For example, we’ve flown someone to Chicago to work at Publican Quality Bread and Avec in River North and had someone work on recipe development for Food Network.

5. You’ve been recognized by the Hispanic Federation with the Premio Orgullo Award for being a leader in the Hispanic community. Besides the Impact Fund, are there any other efforts you would like to highlight?

Of course, it is nice to be recognized. But the only thing I care about, as anyone who knows me knows, is for people to see what I’ve accomplished and take that initiative into their markets and communities. I’m passionate about the food world and the food circle.

There are a lot of things that can be done — things like sending immigrant farmworkers’ kids to college, helping rescue an ecosystem. It just depends on particular chefs’ motivation and time. Most chefs who think the way I do are older. I would love to see chefs show their philanthropy-ship early on, to instill the idea of helping early in young peoples’ lives.

This isn’t for glory or for accolades. My goal is for decision-makers to recognize communities of people who can contribute to the success of this country....to help kids chase their culinary goals and realize their dreams.

To sum up, I’ll end with my favorite quote: “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” — Muhammad Ali, one of my heroes.

If you’re interested in working with the Aarón Sánchez Impact Fund as a mentor or in some other capacity, reach out at  aaronsanchezimpactfund.com.

Aarón Sánchez Impact Fund

A Program of Emeril Lagasse Foundation

Scholarship and Human Services Grant Application

The application for the next round of Aarón Sánchez Scholarships will open October 1 and stay open through December. Interested parties can learn more about the scholarship eligibility and apply at aaronsanchezimpactfund.com.

The Aarón Sánchez Impact Fund accepts grant applications by invitation only but is always eager to hear about projects. Grant consideration is limited to organizations with 501c3 status and organizations serving Latino youth ages 0-18 (at minimum 60 percent of your service community). To learn more about the process of applying for a grant, visit aaronsanchezimpactfund.com/grants.