Aarón Sanchez
The strange absence of Latino cooks and programming on The Food Network has been noticeable for many years, but that’s slowly changing. These days, you can see the erudite and charming chef Aarón Sanchez as one of the judges on the popular cooking competition show Chopped on a pretty regular basis. And there are some very good Latino chefs showing up as competitors on the program as well.
In one recent episode called “Floundering Around,” Sanchez watched as chef Julio Lazzarini made a strong impression on everyone. Lazzarini, 34, grew up in Puerto Rico; now he’s the executive chef and owner of Orilla’s Tapas Bar in Wilmington, Delaware, and an expert in Latino fusion cuisine (that’s defined as “South American cooking and French techniques,” we’ll pretend we know what that means.) Chef Julio is an interesting guy, complete with tattoos, a pony tail, and hipster glasses, but the man can cook, and everybody could see it. We won’t give away the ending, but it’s safe to say he acquits himself very well…and we know where we’re having dinner next time we make it to the summer place in Delaware.
You can watch the entire program on Hulu–see below. But be sure to have plenty of good food within reach. These cooking shows will make you so hungry…
Julio Lazzarini
