Chef Yanitzin Sanchez
By Kathleen Furore
Ask Chef Yanni Sanchez of Mercado Cocina, Glenview, Illinois about the challenges she’s faced as a female chef, and she says one anecdote in particular comes to mind.
“One time in my kitchen somebody whistled at me and I thought, ‘Oh my god what do I have to do?’” Sanchez recalls. “I called to him and asked if he had a second, then took him into my office. I said, ‘If you want to whistle, go to the park—in my kitchen, no! The next time you do it, I will open the door for you!’”
It’s an anecdote that serves as both warning and inspiration—one that illustrates the passion and tenacity that has fueled Chef Yanni’s journey from her family’s kitchen in Toluca, Mexico, to the professional kitchen at Mercado Cocina, the regional Mexican restaurant she just opened in April with business partner Richard Vallejo in Glenview, Illinois.
HONING HER CRAFT
While stints at schools including the Culinary Institute of Mexico in Puebla and the École de Paris Patisserie Boulangere in Paris have informed her cooking style, Chef Yanni credits her grandmother and nanny as the real teachers who in- stilled in her the love of and appreciation for the cuisine of her homeland.
“My grandma and my nanny Felipa inspired me,” she says.
“When I was 8 or 9 years old in Mexico, we made mole for birthday celebrations. My grandma would come to my house and cook moles for my father. I saw her put all of the ingredients, the spices, on a white plate and I watched her cook this mole. And my nanny took me every single day into the kitchen—she taught me how to make my first classic Mexican soup [called] fideo. My mom said no, no, no I don’t want her in the kitchen...and look where am I now,” she laughs.
FEMALE AND FEARLESS
Her comfort zone, it seems, has always been a kitchen. But Chef Yanni acknowledges that it hasn’t always been an easy place to be. “I face challenges all of the time as a woman. It’s hard in the kitchen because kitchens are set up for men. Imagine coming in as a woman and giving orders to guys in the kitchen—they feel intimidated and they don’t like it!” she says. “As women, we put on our chef jackets and transform into another person. You have to leave aside your feminine part because you have to relate with men—they speak a different language. I say, ‘Hey guys, I respect you and you have to respect me in my kitchen.’”
Thankfully, she says, an evolution of sorts is taking place in restaurant kitchens where female chefs are concerned.
“It’s a little different now— I think it’s changing,” Chef Yanni says. “When someone is hiring a chef, they are not thinking so much about if they’re a female or a male anymore—they are just looking at, ‘How good is this person at what they do?’” Even so, uncomfortable situations do arise. “Sometimes you have to ignore comments and words,” she says. “But I am straight with them. We [are the ones who] have to stop it!”
THE ROAD TO MERCADO
In spite of (or perhaps even because of) the hurdles she’s faced, Chef Yanni has carved out an impressive reputation in the culinary world on the journey to Glenview.
She worked at the Ritz Carlton in Paris, the Mayan Palace in Acapulco and Cancun, and as a sous chef for the Art Institute of Chicago before opening Sabor Saveur in Chicago, where she introduced diners to dishes that put a French twist on Mexican flavors, in 2009. She also served as a consultant chef for CINE in Hinsdale, Illinois; created new concepts for clients nationwide; and even served as a corporate chef in Philadelphia. But Chicago kept calling. “I wanted to come back to Chicago because in this industry, Chicago is a good place to be,” Chef Yanni recalls. “I came back in 2016 and worked in Takito Kitchen...but I said to myself, ‘Wait, when you are working for somebody you have no freedom, you have to cook what they want...but when you own something, your creativity doesn’t have limits.’”
That thought ultimately led her to Glenview and Mercado, where she hopes to expose diners to unfamiliar flavors. “Most guests don’t know that there are more than 26 different versions of mole,” she says. “Mercado will attempt to push boundaries with what people have come to know from Mexican dining. Ultimately, we will be successful by listening to our guests and determining just how far we can go. We’re eager to learn.”
THE BUSINESS OF BUSINESS
An eagerness to learn has, in fact, been one hallmark of her success. Along her journey, she has learned how important it is to rely on others, especially when dealing with the business side of the business.
“As a chef you focus on creativity and on preparing good dishes and on organizing your kitchen properly. You forget you are also a business person, so you forget the business part,” she says. “You wake up and are thinking about food and thinking about food and thinking about food all of the time.”
And as instrumental other women have been in helping her realize her culinary dream, she credits John de Carrier as the person who helped her on the business side.
“John has shown me everything he knows and I’m very lucky to have him in my life teaching me about this industry,” she stresses.
So with all of the ups and downs she’s faced, especially as a female in today’s competitive restaurant industry, what would Chef Yanni say to female chefs hoping to make their mark?
“It is not easy, and you need to sacrifice many things. If you want to have a family, the hours [a chef must put in] are long—life as a chef is hard,” she cautions. “If you don’t feel love for what you do, you are in the wrong place. Be patient and professional, and do everything, everything, everything you do with love—that is my key!
Kathleen Furore is the editor of el Restaurante.
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