Aaron Sanchez Quotations

Morimoto is very focused, ... He's all about business and a veteran of a lot of competition. I was just very aware of who I was going against.

My family, we are three generations of cookbook writers,

If we're talking fantasy, I would love to host a late night talk show... More Fallon than Leno. Those guys always seem like they're having way too much fun at their 'jobs.'

I feel ecstatic about it, ... It's a great opportunity to showcase your skills.

Physically, I don't really feel like I'm close to coming back, but mentally I really want to be out there helping the team.

I think I can find a house, ... but a small house.

who's done well and will continue to do well.

Latin food suffers like Chinese. You can do marginal Chinese and be successful. You can do crappy Mexican and be packed.

Nobody likes sweaty coleslaw.

Marcus Samuelsson is a chef who inspires me everyday. He has such a deep understanding of flavors and techniques. His food is representative of the diverse world that we live in. What he has done in Harlem with Red Rooster is very special. Marcus is not just a chef, he's a food activist.

I like to cook with the philosophy of using great ingredients and not altering them too much.

I was a little, uh, incorrigible as a kid, so the kitchen was a good place to give me structure and balance. It taught me hard work, but then I grew to love it.

My mother and my grandmother are pioneers of Mexican cuisine in this country, so I grew up in the kitchen. My mom, Zarela Martinez, was by far my biggest influence and inspiration - and toughest critic.

I wanted to get away from the Mexican vernacular and do more 'nuevo Latino.' Americans are starting to understand regionality in Mexican food. It is very regional in terms of ingredients.

Instead of going out, I'm trying to encourage people to have a memorable experience in their own home. We call it 'Delicioso Night In.' I invite the people I care about the most. Then, when I get a lot of people together, I like to have finger foods.

My biggest challenge is cooking traditional French dishes, which usually require very specific techniques and methods. That's just not my style... I cook from the soul.

When I was a teenager, I worked in New Orleans for a chef named Paul Prudhomme. That was a very important time in my life as a chef. I developed my palate and learned a lot. And here I am now. I specialize in modern Mexican and contemporary Latin cuisines.

You have to think of Latin food as a couple of culinary superpowers: the Caribbean-African influence and the Central American corn, rice and beans. And from South America comes fresh seafood; Peru, the birthplace of potatoes; and in Chile and Argentina, you see the European influence.

You walk in there, and it's all for real, ... You have to have an idea with some variance.

It was a good fight, ... I (was) honored to be chosen to participate in this battle of the wits.

Execution is everything at 'Iron Chef,' ... It is something that is taken very seriously in the world of culinary art.

I'm very proud of him, ... He is well- deserving, hard-working and very humble.

I am wearing a Mexican flag bandanna, ... I was not playing. I was there to win.