Celebrity Chef and restaurateur, Aaron Sanchez, is returning to our screens in a new six-part cooking series, “El Toque de Aarón”, brought to us by a partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Hispanic, GroupM and Cocina Media.
According to the exclusive announcement on Variety, Chef Aaron Sanchez will venture into Latino restaurants with untapped potential, eager to transform their businesses and guide them to enhance their menus, space and public image. In each 30-minute episode, the renowned chef will provide his personal touch to the dishes while coaching the restaurant’s chef and sharing trade secrets.
Joining Sánchez are designer Cris Mercado (“HGTV Star; Remodelaciones con Celebridades”) and project manager Ángel Riveros (“Hogar Star”), who will help renovate and bring out the true soul of each restaurant. The show adds an exciting twist to its mission with a ticking timer that requires all renovations, from the menu to the space, to be completed in just four days.
Gonzalo Del Fa, president GroupM Multicultural said “At GroupM, we are proud of our ability to integrate the brands we serve into culture-defining properties like ‘El Labor de Aarón’ while accessing premium talent and partners.
“We are thrilled to be part of the journey to elevate the passions and stories that will truly resonate with consumers.” Gonzalo Del Fa Sarah North, chief creative officer, Cocina Media, the company co-founded by Sánchez, said “This series is particularly close to our hearts, executive produced and starring our company’s co-founder Aarón Sánchez and dedicated to the goal of uplifting Latino businesses.”
The new series will be available on Discovery Familia GO app for mobile and streaming viewers. Also on Discovery Familia and Hogar de HGTV’s social media platforms which will feature the restaurant profiles and behind-the-scenes footage.
Sanchez latest project comes on the heels of Aaron Sanchez Impact Fund collaboration with Chef Emeril Lagasse’s Foundation. The partnership established a fund that was developed to focus on two pillars: culinary arts education and human services programming. “We are pleased to be working with our good friend Chef Aarón to help fulfill his philanthropic vision,” said Lagasse. “Our shared mission to enable youth to reach their full potential makes this a perfect alliance.”
The Aaron Sanchez Impact Fund aims to uplift the lives of Latino youth through food. The culinary arts education pillar will diversify kitchen leadership through scholarships, financial support, mentoring, and career pathways guidance for future generations. The Aaron Sanchez Scholarship Fund, established in 2016, will serve as the signature education program of the impact fund. The human services pillar will work toward changing the trajectory of Latino youth lives through better food access, nutrition education, crisis feeding programs, and more.
“The Emeril Lagasse Foundation has been a great supporter of the Aaron Sanchez Scholarship Fund over the years, and with this new partnership, we can further our reach and impact within a growing Latin population across the U.S.,’’ concluded Aaron Sanchez. “We have just scratched the surface with our culinary scholarships, and while we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished thus far, we’re excited to better serve our community in more diverse ways.”
