Dozens of students lined up to meet celebrity chef Aarón Sánchez on Tuesday during his visit to campus to promote a new culinary partnership with WVU’s Dining Services.
The partnership, first announced in November, will feature a new food station at Cafe Evansdale called Adobo Cantina, which is located by the grilling area in the dining hall.
The new station, featuring Mexican dishes, will function the same as the dining hall’s other stations, equaling to one meal swipe per visit.
Sánchez said the Mexican food station will begin with a few menu staples, but he hopes to later introduce new dishes.
“Today’s our first day, so we’re starting with a very sort of entry menu with a lot of classics and staples, like carne asada, charro beans, Mexican rice, adobo-rubbed chicken,” Sánchez said.
“So we’re going to start with that, and then as they get a little bit more used to going with the flow, we’re going to start to evolve and introduce new flavors and dishes. So we have a beautiful repertoire and inventory of dishes that are eventually going to come out.”
Sánchez said the idea of bringing Mexican cuisine to new audiences inspired him to share his culinary expertise with WVU students.
“I love working with audiences that are new, and maybe are willing to learn and have these different flavors,” Sánchez said. “At West Virginia, everyone here has been so wonderful to me, very much treating me with open arms.”
Ultimately, Sánchez hopes that the partnership will expand beyond Cafe Evansdale and allow him to reach other parts of the University.
“My ultimate goal is to be able to have good food service outreach with the University and perhaps do something in the sports venue, maybe something in different halls,” Sánchez said. “Just to continue this partnership and be able to do different styles of Latin cuisine throughout the University.”
Originally from El Paso, Texas, Sánchez is a famous chef, author and owner of the New Orleans restaurant Johnny Sánchez. He has been featured on numerous cooking shows, including MasterChef, Chopped, Iron Chef and the emmy-nominated series, Taco Trip.
“My mom had a restaurant for 30 years in New York City, so I kind of grew up in the business and then started working with many different chefs in the country and establishing my culinary style throughout this process,” Sánchez said. “Our restaurant is a Mexican restaurant, but we utilize Louisiana ingredients. That’s a big part of who we are. We’re not a pretentious restaurant. We’re just a beautiful restaurant that’s accessible to people.”
More information can be found on the WVU Dining Services website.
Dining and Cooking