03-04-2025
Celebrity chef Aarón Sánchez visits WVU's campus to speak with students
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — On Tuesday, Chef Aarón Sánchez made a stop by Café Evansdale to speak with students at West Virginia University.
Café Evansdale is the home of Adobo Cantina, which is one of Sánchez's restaurants that is celebrating its third year on West Virginia University's campus.
'We're really stoked about how it's evolved, how it's growing,' Sánchez said. 'We have great leadership, we have a great diversity of a menu, the student body obviously enjoys it quite a bit. So, we're just happy to be here, and Go West Virginia Mountaineers baby, all day long.'
Sánchez describes himself as a chef, philanthropist, and a 'proud mountaineer.' He told 12 News that he comes from a 'restaurant family,' adding that his mother operated a restaurant in New York City for nearly 30 years.
'I got bit with the bug very early on, obviously growing up in that environment,' said Sánchez. 'Then I started working with really great chefs—they taught me, they mentored me, then I started out on my own. Television came around and it just kind of blew up.'
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Sánchez has starred in many different shows on The Food Network, including 'Chopped' and 'Chopped Junior', and he's currently a judge on TV shows 'MasterChef' and 'MasterChef Junior.' He said that the reason he wanted to bring Adobo Cantina to WVU is because he wanted to do a concept that was accessible to the student body, with an ever-changing menu to keep them engaged.
According to Sánchez, he tries to go around to different markets where he thinks that they could use some Mexican cuisine.
'I'm not saying that there's not any good Mexican food here, I'm just saying it's not my Mexican food,' he added. 'So my experience, my career, I think narrates a different style of food, so I wanted to come to West Virginia because I think they can use it.'
Sánchez added that he loves the fact that the best Mexican food in Morgantown, in his opinion, can be found right on WVU's campus, as opposed to a free-standing restaurant.
'If you don't believe me, come out here and try it,' he said.
By visiting Cafe Evansdale personally, Sánchez hopes to convey the message to students that he cares and that he aims to be supportive.
'I'm always here to answer questions and just to say thank you,' he added. 'Thank you for taking something that's so personal and passionate to me like my food and loving it, it's like the biggest thank you you can give me.'
Sánchez remained on WVU's campus throughout the afternoon, saying that he would play it by ear regarding how long he'd actually stay. However, he told 12 News that he had plans to visit the administration around campus.
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