Talking Sabor with Aaron Sanchez show is available now on Hulu.
Before pressing “play” on the new Hulu series Talking Sabor with Aarón Sánchez there should be a warning label on the screen that says something like: “This show will put a smile on your face, make you very, very hungry, and regain belief in the American Dream.” The new series, which premiered on April 24, is a partnership between Pepsi and the Cocina production company. Heard throughout the series from Chef Sánchez, it is “unapologetically Latin,” and celebrates culture, food, identity, and the personal stories of the families featured in each episode.
With Cyn Santana on episode seven, in New York.
Sánchez says this has been one of the most personally rewarding experiences. “It’s an exciting time, when a lot of first-generation Latinos are coming back to their roots.” And for many, Pepsi’s Juntos Crecemos program is making that much easier. The over $50 million initiative shines a light on small Hispanic businesses, like those featured in Talking Sabor, and helps with access to capital, mentorship, and marketing.
The series takes place in four American cities with diverse communities: Houston, Miami, Los Angeles, and New York. In each episode Sánchez is joined by a special guest—many of whom are celebrated Latino artists, musicians, athletes, and chefs—and together, they taste the foods of two different restaurants and learn the backstory of each family establishment. Sánchez picks out an appetizer, his guest chooses an entrée, then they drive to a location to sit and explore the chosen dishes, while dishing about food, culture, family, and more.
It’s in the Genes
Sánchez knows a thing or two about what each of the families featured have experienced. Long before becoming a television personality, his world revolved around food. From his grandmother’s kitchen to his mother’s restaurants, being in the kitchen has just always made sense. As he explains to the Barcenas family at their restaurant in South Houston, “I wasn’t a good student, I was incorrigible. So, for me, the kitchen was my salvation. It gave me mentorship, it gave me structure...” Sánchez’s mom, Zarela Martinez, is considered a pioneer of Mexican food in New York, so he knows how powerful the trifecta of food, hard work, and community can be. Essentially, those are the elements that become the core of each episode and Tasting Sabor, on a whole.
Viewers learn that so many of the families featured started with very little; in some cases, they made a radical move from other jobs, and started with a cart or food truck. Today, they’ve become beacons for gathering in their respective neighborhoods and cities. “What we do in restaurants is special,” Sánchez says. “When giving back to the community this way, you can feel it. It’s like a big hug...You’re doing something beautiful,” he tells the Barcenas family who has been feeding their community in Houston for 25 years.
Comedy, Cars, and Food
Viewers can’t help but notice what seems to be a mash-up of a couple of familiar shows that blend guests, cars, and conversation. It feels very much like a fun fusion between Carpool Karaoke and Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee with a heavy dash of Sánchez’s animated personality and, of course, delicious food.
Getting ready to feast, with Pepsi or Pepsi Zero Sugar featured in each episode.
And, Sánchez is all in. He might just be the most animated, physical, food celebrity around, as he cheers, claps, snaps, and dances with each bite. “You have to do a little happy dance when something is tasty, ok?” he tells Marlon Esparza, and his guest in episode four when they visit Guanatos Grub, Mexican restaurant in her hometown of Houston. Esparza is the first American woman winner (2012, London) of any Olympic boxing medal.
When asked if there were any surprises discovered amidst this venture, Sánchez was quick to respond. “I was surprised by how many of the elders relinquished their recipes,” he said. The show features different dishes from families of Central and South American, Mexican, and Caribbean descent. “The patriarchs and matriarchs were so open to the younger generations taking the the reins.” Sánchez said he was also very impressed by the fact that the chefs were truly “unapologetically Latin” by not compromising recipes for new palates, and “stuck to their guns” despite the chance of dishes being unfamiliar or new to many diners.
Guests of the show include: comedian Jesús Trejo, telenovela star Adriana Fonseca, Chef Wes Avila, Olympic boxer Marlen Esparza, singer and actress Amara La Negra, singer Zabdiel de Jesús, artist Cyn Santana, and musician Justin Quiles.
One Last Note
Each episode ends with a sweet, surprise dessert that each family restaurant gives Sánchez and his guest, accompanied by a heartfelt note. “If I start to cry, back me up with a hug,” Sánchez says to guest and fellow chef Wes Avila in episode three as they share the food in front of the Nasa Space Center. “We’re all dedicated to the same mission, bro... just making people happy through food.”
With guest, Chef Wes Avila, and the owners of Barcenas in Houston, Texas on episode three.
Next stop for Talking Sabor? Speaking of being unapologetic, Sánchez knows full well that coverage of four diverse Latino communities just scratches the surface and there’s more ground to cover. “The more information we can put out there to a large audience, the more they viewers can have an appreciation and understanding of the cultures that are represented.’’
Pepsi? Hulu? You in?
