Tag Archives: Zarela Martinez

Endemol Shine North America Options Aaron Sanchez’s Memoir to Develop TV Scripted Projects

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Art will soon imitate Aarón Sánchez’s life…

The story of the 45-year-old Mexican celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, cookbook author and philanthropist is headed for the small screen after Endemol Shine North America optioned his memoir.

Chef Aaron SanchezThe Banijay-backed production company is developing potential scripted projects with Sánchez, one of the judges of Fox’s MasterChef and MasterChef Junior, whose memoir Where I Come From: Life Lessons From a Latino Chef was released in 2019.

Endemol Shine North America Chief Content Officer, Sharon Levy is leading development efforts alongside Flavio Morales and Lisa Fahrenholt.

In his memoir, Sánchez shares his personal journey, as well as the story of his mother, Zarela Martinez, who took him and his twin brother from El Paso, Texas to New York City at a young age, while she chased her dream of owning a restaurant in the Big Apple.

After overcoming many obstacles, Martinez rose to success in the NYC restaurant scene and is now credited with bringing sophisticated Mexican cuisine to America. After losing his father at a young age, he was sent to work with renowned chef Paul Prudhomme in New Orleans at the age of 16. He is now the chef and owner of Johnny Sánchez in New Orleans.

He joined MasterChef, which is produced by Endemol Shine North America, in season 8, and also joined MasterChef Jr. as a judge in season 7.

He is also creative director of Latin lifestyle online platform Cocina and has starred in series such as Chopped and Taco Trip and written two cookbooks and launched the Cooking in Mexican from A to Z podcast with his mother and is also a partner in tattoo shop and museum Daredevil Tattoo in NYC.

“It’s more important than ever to tell genuine stories of what it’s like growing up bicultural in America. We want to share the nuances that are unique to Mexican-American culture and honor those roots, while also hoping audiences from different backgrounds connect to the similarities we share – the struggles, the celebrations, the food, the comedy, the survival instincts… the relentless pursuit of happiness,” said Sánchez. “I came up at a time when food was making its way into pop-culture and cooking in restaurants was our primary form of creative expression, so having this opportunity to develop in the scripted space is something I’m really looking forward to. And I couldn’t be more excited to do it with my Endemol Shine family.”

“America knows and loves Aarón from ‘MasterChef’ and his myriad culinary accomplishments, but most people don’t know the amazing journey and the obstacles that he and his mother overcame to become pioneers of Mexican-American cuisine in this country,” added Levy. “He has truly lived the American dream and we are excited to now be developing his unique story into a dramatic TV series and exploring additional opportunities with Aarón.”

Downs Recognized for Being a Voice Mexico’s Indigenous People

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Throughout her career, Lila Downs has incorporated indigenous Mexican influences into her music… And now she’s being recognized for being a voice for the country’s indigenous population.

The 44-year-old Mexican singer/songwriter, who has recorded songs in indigenous languages like Mixtec, Zapotec, Mayan, Nahuatl and P’urhépecha, has been honored by the organization Mano a Mano: Mexican Culture Without Borders for her work spreading awareness about indigenous people.

Lila Downs

Downs, who divides her time between New York and her native Mexico, accepted the Yoloxochitl Award from last year’s recipient, chef Zarela Martinez, who helped pioneer Mexican cuisine in the Big Apple.

Being honored by her compatriots “is an opportunity to make known that a very great effort is being made to educate and share cultural spaces that exist for the Mexican community,” the Latin Grammy-winning artist told Efe.

After picking up her award, Downs entertained the audience by performing several of her songs.

Every year, Mano a Mano honors a person “who represents who we are,” the organization’s executive director, said Juan Carlos Aguirre.

“Lila represents a very important segment of Mexico, with all its cultural diversity,” he said.

Born in southern Mexico to an Anglo-American father and a Mixtec Indian mother, Downs fuses indigenous and traditional music with genres such as folk, blues, jazz, hip hop and rock.

She is currently touring the United States to showcase her latest album, Pecados y milagros.

Sanchez Switching Tongues for His Latest Cooking Program…

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He’s won the hearts of millions on the Food Network… And, now noted chef Aaron Sanchez is hoping to win the corazones of Spanish-speaking viewers.

The 35-year-old Mexican American chef is taking a stab at Spanish-language television with his new show Aaron Loves New York, which premieres this week on the lifestyle cable network Utilisima.

Chef Aaron Sanchez

Sanchez, the owner of New York City’s Centrico and Tacombi restaurants, will cook dishes with “people I admire” while taking viewers to iconic spots in the Big Apple, where the El Paso, Texas-born chef grew up.

“It’s a learning process for me as well,” says Sanchez. “I’m the expert, but there are also other experts who inspire me.”

Each of the 13 initial episodes has a specific theme, including an installment dedicated to Cuban music and cuisine with singer David Oquendo and members of his Raices Habaneras band.

“(Viewers) will see my favorite places, where I like to get the ingredients, where I go to eat, the farmers market in Union Square,” says Sanchezd. “In Spanish Harlem I visited a butcher’s shop, a bakery and La Marqueta.”

It’s part of Sanchez’s plan to reach his gente.

“I want the people of Latin America to get to know me, what my path has been,” says Sanchez, who is the son Zarela Martinez, an author of several cookbooks and owner of the acclaimed Café Marimba.

Sanchez currently appears on the Food Network shows Heat Seekers and Chopped. He’s also been featured on the network’s Chefs vs. City.

Aaron Loves New York will debut on Utilisima this Sunday at 8:00 pm ET.

Click here to learn more about Sanchez or to view his recipes.