Aarón Sánchez

Aarón Sánchez is an award-winning chef, TV personality, author and philanthropist. He is chef/owner of Johnny Sánchez in New Orleans and, in addition to MASTERCHEF, is a judge on FOX’s MASTERCHEF JUNIOR. He is partner/creative director of Cocina, the first online content platform dedicated to celebrating Latin lifestyle through its vibrant culinary culture. Sánchez grew up in the restaurant business and is passionate about preserving his family’s legacy through food and encouraging diversity in the kitchen.

Sánchez has starred in multiple culinary cable shows, most notably as a judge on “Chopped” and “Chopped Junior.” He was the host of the Emmy Award-nominated series “Taco Trip” and has appeared on “Iron Chef” and “Best Thing I Ever Ate,” among other series. Additionally, Sánchez hosted two Spanish-language shows on Fox Life, “3 Minutos con Aarón” and “Motochefs.”

A third-generation cookbook author, Sánchez has written two cookbooks, “La Comida del Barrio” and “Simple Food, Big Flavor.” In fall 2019, he published a memoir titled “Where I Come From: Life Lessons From a Latino Chef.” In October 2020, Sánchez and his mother, Zarela Martínez, launched their podcast, “Cooking in Mexican from A to Z.”

Sánchez has won a James Beard Award for Television Studio Program and was recognized by the Hispanic Federation with the Premio Orgullo Award for being a leader in the Hispanic community. In 2016, he founded the Aarón Sánchez Scholarship Fund (ASSF), an initiative empowering aspiring chefs from the Latin community. ASSF provides recipients with full culinary scholarships to schools in New York City and ongoing mentorship.

His love for the arts extends beyond the kitchen. Sánchez is a partner in world-renowned tattoo shop and museum Daredevil Tattoo in NYC. An avid music lover, he enjoys cooking to the sounds of Portugal the Man, Shakey Graves, Café Tacvba, Alabama Shakes, Tank and The Bangas, Amos Lee, Lianne La Havas and Lenny Kravitz. He has a son, Yuma, and lives in New Orleans, LA.