He's an award-winning chef, a successful restauranteur, a well-known TV personality, an author and a dad, but what many people don't know, is that Mexican-American chef, Aáron Sánchez is also quite the philanthropist. Aáron embraces seemingly every opportunity presented to him to uplift the Latinx community, particularly, other Latinx chefs and business owners.
Most recently, he partnered with PepsiCo to launch Juntos Crecemos, a $50 million initiative designed to provide Latinx entrepreneurs with food-based small businesses like bodegas, restaurants and carnicerias, resources and training to help grow and strengthen their companies, over the next five years. For this particular project, Aáron is essentially serving as a spokesperson, but really, outreach with Latinx small business owners is a part of his every day life.
The 45-year-old Texas-born millionaire is a third-generation chef who is passionate about his culture and supporting the Latinx community, and we got to chat with him about his philanthropic efforts and his best advice for Latinx entrepreneurs.
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"To be able to invest was such a compelling idea. It's something that fell in line with my philanthropy," Aáron told POPSUGAR about Juntos Crecemos, explaining that back in 2016, he founded the Aáron Sánchez Scholarship Fund to help Latinx kids with culinary ambitions achieve their goals."We've had over a dozen kids enrolled and six have completed it [the program]," he told us. And that's a big deal, too. Culinary school currently costs about $30,000 to complete in the U.S., and Aáron's organization is not only providing full scholarships for the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, but also offering mentorship, and paying for room and board and supplies, as well as offering opportunities for unique experiences for each graduate, which have in the past included, working with top chefs like Alex Stupak and José Luis Chavez and attending the Austin Food & Wine festival as one of Aáron's assistants. What that all amounts to is an organization that's not just handing over the money and disappearing, but one that is fostering long-term success for young Latinx chefs-in-training. That's real impact and we totally get why it immediately felt like Juntos Crecemos and its five-year plan seemed like a natural offshoot of what Aáron has already been doing.
Aáron knows just how important it is to feel and be supported as an entrepreneur though, and that is reflected in the choices he makes personally as well. "I have all the fears and uncertainties of being a hispanic business owner," Aáron said. "When I'm traveling and shopping I go to independent markets, support independent Latin businesses. I have beautiful connections. It's very fulfilling and heartwarming," he said, and it's those every day encounters that have shaped Aáron's views on representation and success.
"I'm a citizen of the world. I see opportunities at every corner. I'm a big 'no excuses person,' he told us. "You have to go seek out what you want. I think it's important to be represented and to have your voice, but don't get caught up in all that. You end up becoming bitter and seeing nothing beautiful," he said. And what about the challenges that Black and brown chefs face, whether they be cultural or financial? Aáron has been there and he knows what it takes to overcome them.
Aáron explained that the culinary world is quite different now than when he got into it. Namely, that it can actually make for a lucrative career. So all those concerns your mamí and papí have? They're not as valid as they once were. "When I started cooking it was different. Hospitality got paid a certain amount and now we get paid differently. It's really rewarding," he said. But it's not just about the money. "Taking care of other people. You're fulfilling that and that gives you joy," Aáron explained. And we couldn't agree more. If there's one thing we've learned about "work" in the 21st century, it's that we should all be striving to do something we care about and that we feel good about.
Getting there isn't always easy, but it's worth it, and with a bit of strategy and determination, Aáron thinks anyone can do it. "The best piece of advice I have is to make a list of mentors. Write a hand-written letter [to each] and say, 'I admire your work, I would like to be able to help my growth and extract ideas,'" he suggests, alluding to the importance of networking and drawing on your connections. "It can even be in different fields, and that will help you be well-versed," Aáron explains. With his massive success in mind, its advice one shouldn't quickly ignore.
