Chef Aarón Sanchez has appeared on Food Network shows “Heat Seekers,” “Chopped” and “Best Thing I Ever Ate.”  He recently arrived in Los Angeles to be the Crossroads at House of Blues Celebrity Chef (yes, that’s his official title) where he has added menu items such as shrimp and grits and chile-braised short ribs.  He owns two Latin-inspired restaurants in New York, Centrico and Tacombi, and will be releasing his second cookbook, “Simple Food, Big Flavor: Unforgettable Mexican-Inspired Recipes from My Kitchen to Yours,” in October.

What’s coming up next on your menu?
Braised short rib meatball sliders [at Crossroads at House of Blues].

Latest ingredient obsession? Cacique’s cotija cheese. It’s the best on the market. 

The one piece of kitchen equipment you can’t live without, other than your knives? Tortilla press.

The last cookbook you read? “My New Orleans” by John Besh. It’s way more than a cookbook…. Inspiring stories and wonderful writing. It’s John’s love letter to New Orleans, which is where my career started.

What chef has most influenced you? My mother, Zarela Martinez. She has influenced my career and my life more than any other chef.

Photo: Aarón Sanchez. Credit: House of Blues