I really enjoyed reading this book. The author does a wonderful job with describing the influences on his cooking and his life. When he describes a dish you can almost taste it on the page. The book is well written and easy to read. There are no recipes in this book but it will make you hungry. Enjoy his inspiring journey

As a Food Network junkie, I am very familiar with Chef Aaron Sanchez. I have seen him on Chopped, Best Thing I Ever Ate, and numerous other shows. When I saw that he was releasing a book, I could not wait to gain more insight into the man behind the food. “ Where I Come From: Life Lessons from a Latino Chef” gives us so much backstory into his life and experiences both before and after fame. It also contains some yummy recipes that I can’t wait to try to recreate ( but if I’m being honest, I’m more likely to be on Worst Cooks in America than any other Food Network show, so this might be a fail). Overall, I loved this book and would definitely recommend it.

I enjoy watching Aaron Sanchez on tv and have for years. I appreciate that he is a Latino Chef that has brought his culture and background into his food. I truly believe that you incorporate your surroundings and feelings into your food and that you can tell when a chef really has a passion for what they do.

Aaron was very honest in this memoir when he discusses his struggles with depression. I applaud his truthfulness when telling the reader that he still speaks with a therapist on a weekly basis and is taking medication. The people that work in food industry usually show a harder side of themselves but as Aaron explains, it is a lonely profession.

This book also has some of Aaron’s recipes throughout. I think that was a great touch.

Where I Come From by Aaron Sanchez is a book that combines cooking and culture in a beautiful way. Though not much of a cook myself, I've always enjoyed watching cooking shows, including those with Aaron Sanchez. The Mexican culture is one I have been eager to learn more about due to marrying into it myself and this book was a great glimpse into it from a new angle.

Aaron Sanchez has long been one of my favorite "celebrity chefs." I've watched him on Chopped, Masterchef, and many other series through the years. I was always impressed by his judging style, and when he was in the competition, his cooking style. His passion for cooking shines through.
It shines through in his memoir as well. You can almost taste the flavors of the dishes he describes throughout. Mouthwatering recipes are included at the end of many chapters, and each one contains a further explanation of its importance to him. Food is a wonderful memory for me, and I liked seeing how it formed his memories as well.
Another thing I liked about Sanchez's memoir is how authentic it was. He never tries to skirt around the fact that he was an aimless teen and made many mistakes in his life. He gives credit to the people who helped form the man he is today, and never makes himself out to be more than a man who is lucky enough to do what he loves every day and share it with other people.
It's well written and felt more like a conversation that a book.
*I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for my review

I've watched Aaron Sanchez over many years, first on the Food Network show Chopped, and later on Fox's Masterchef. Each appearance showed he was a respected chef who really knew his way in the kitchen. I was excited to read his memoir, Where I Come From. It is filled with stories about his career, what he has learned, and most importantly, with recipes! I really enjoyed it.

What I Liked:

Career:

I really only know about Aaron's career on television, and I was eager to learn more about his culinary career. With a combination of talent and timing, Aaron seemed destined to be on a fast-track to success. But "fast" may be an overstatement. Aaron has worked a long time to get to his current level of achievement. With a compelling narrative, Aaron brought his struggles to life.

I also felt a strong connection to his story because I am also Mexican-American. He discussed whether being Mexican has pigeon-holed him into cooking solely Latino foods, or has allowed him to use his background to explore Latin-American foods in a way few other chef were able to do.

He also talked about the cultural taboos surrounding mental health issues. Typical of a Mexican-American family with a history of depression, it was never openly discussed. When he finally started to confront his issues, THEN he learned that several people in his family had the same challenges. I can SO relate!

Life Lessons:

Aaron has also had a huge learning curve in how to be a responsible adult. Even with good intentions, Aaron has taken some detours, especially in his teenage years. At one point, his behavior was so frustrating to his mom that she actually enrolled him in the Outward Bound program for troubled teens. Following his transformation from a teen with a chip on his shoulder to a renowned and respected Chef and business owner was compelling.

Recipes:

Cooking and eating Mexican food is a large part of my life. I don't really use recipes, as most of what I've been taught was passed down from the women in my family. Aaron had similar experiences. But then, he went a step further and researched (as his mother did before him) to find out about the many variations of Mexican, and Latin-American cooking.

The recipes in this book are a sampling of some delicious looking foods. I am already making plans to try out many of them. These alone would make this book well worth buying and I plan on getting this as a Christmas gift for several relatives (hopefully they won't read this review!).

What I Was Mixed About:

I think that this book would appeal most to people who are already fans of Aaron Sanchez. If you don't already know of him from television, I don't think you would necessarily find his story so engaging.

I think his fans are going to love this peek into his life. He’s got a great story and such a kind heart that it’s hard not to like him or his story.

I wanted to read this book because I’ve seen Sanchez on television many times, most recently on Master Chef. He seems both likable and accomplished on TV and that impression I had of him was reinforced by this book. This is a candid memoir in which the chef/author describes his life and career path. He doesn’t shy away from his continuing struggle with depression. His mother Zarela is the chef of a well known New York restaurant and he was strongly influenced by her. He is currently located in New Orleans but, given the large number of job and locale changes described in this book, I wouldn’t count on that to last.

The litany of restaurants got a little tedious at times and the book was somewhat repetitive. I liked it most when he was talking about food, recipes and his love of cooking. A few recipes are actually included in the book. I was interested to learn that he has an 8 year old son. Maybe he mentioned that on Master Chef Junior and I missed it. I’ve read several chef memoirs and I keep saying that I am going to stop reading them because there is a certain sameness to their stories. However, it was good to get the perspective of a Latino chef.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

This book was received as an ARC from Abrams Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Being a fan of the Food Network and Masterchef, I am familiar with the career of Aaron Sanchez and the type of cuisine he cooks on the show, Modern Latino American. Knowing his background and how he got his career, it was so shocking to see that he did not always dream of becoming a chef until his mom forced him to work at Paul Prudhomme 's restaurant in New Orleans when he was 16 for his first job and there is where he developed his love for food and cooking and later on once he learned the classic techniques he dove further into Latin American cuisine learning about his culture leading to today with his show on Food Network and a judge on Masterchef and Masterchef Junior. Now after reading his memoir, I am excited to examine his cookbooks for a possible theme for our cooking demo.

We will consider adding this title to our Non-Fiction collection at the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Chef Sanchez owes everything to his mother: she birthed him, she raised him, she introduced him to the world of food, she didn't let him slide when things didn't go his way, she forced him to be independent. To support this, the book follows Sanchez as he goes through life taking chances, getting help, making mistakes, and basically growing up just like the rest of us did. What makes his story different is that the reader also gets a peek inside the world of food and the popularization of celebrity chefs. Quotes like "A chef cries in the walk-in, not in front of the staff" add a definite flavor to the story. What I felt was only nominally mentioned, as though to check a box, was the place of minorities in the restaurant industry as well as Sanchez' own mental health issues. I felt the book could have been used to elevate these issues a bit more. But it would have made for a more serious book and perhaps that isn't where they wanted to go. Instead, add several accessible recipes and you get a quick and enjoyable read.

An enjoyable memoir in the vein of Marcus Samuelsson's YES, CHEF. Like Samuelsson, Sanchez became a household name via the Food Network, and also uses his memoir to explore his heritage and where he came from, all tied into the glory of the culinary arts. Memoir fans and foodies will enjoy Sanchez's tale.

A huge fan of Aaron Sanchez. I have liked his cooking since he competed on Chopped and wowed the judges. If you can remember when that was, I am impressed because it has been so long, I am lucky enough to have some of his cookbooks because I like Latin and Mexican, and I am not Hispanic. It is just good cooking.

This book, his first autobiographical novel is a great addition to anyone who wants to know more about their favorite chefs background. He was honest about his struggles and dreams, which only make more likeable as a person. Overall, I really enjoyed. Yes, it has recipes.

Thank you Net Galley for an advanced in exchange for an honest review.

Sanchez's stories about coming up in the world of professional kitchens are as juicy as his recipes. He is generous in the details about his successes and struggles and the behind the scenes action of restaurants where he built his career.

OBSESSED with this book Aaron Sanchez is one of my favorite celebrity chefs, I loved him way before he was on master chef or even had shows on Food Network the man came from a tough background and made something of himself. I LOVE this book it showed me a part of him I didnt know.

Aaron Sanchez has provided a memoir that is both fascinating and candid about life as a Latino Chef. It is a worthy read for those who want to know more about him in and out of the kitchen.

I first learned about Chef Aaron Sanchez while watching him on tv. When I heard he had a book coming out, I was very interested in reading it to learn more about him and how he got to where he is. I found this book to be quite interesting as he shares his journey and his time growing up as a young child, the major influences on him, and how he got to where he is today. Just to clarify, I would consider this more of a memoir with recipes rather than a cookbook. However I still would recommend this book to fans or Chef Sanchez.

Thank you NetGalley, Abrams and Chef Sanchez for the advanced copy of this book.
I’m a huge fan of Aaron and the culinary world. I really enjoyed reading his story.

I was unable to read the galley in its completion as I hadn't received a Kindle file. What I was able to read on a desktop was insightful and interesting based on Chef Sanchez's personal experiences growing up.

I really like Aaron Sanchez and have since the first time I saw him on television. I read somewhere a long time ago that everyone has at least one good book in them to write. I thought, yeah the story of their life.
This book is no exception, Chef Sanchez has led a very interesting life and he shares that story with readers very eloquently. I loved the recipes, and want to try making a few of them. Aaron, feel free to stop by and offer advice, then we can have dinner!
Readers of biographies will enjoy this book, as well as foodies and watchers of the many television shows on which the chef appears.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting me this book.

I have always been a fan of Aaron Sanchez from the first time I watched him on a cooking show.?Its really interesting to read about his life his family his love of god and cooking that he inherited from his family.Love the recipes an added treat.I wil be gifting this lovely book to friends of mine who are also Aaron’s fans, #abramsbooks #netgalley