Chef Aarón Sánchez Heads West For 'Chopped: Grill Masters'

Chef Aarón Sanchez adds another hit show to his Food Network resume this summer as a judge on 'Chopped: Grill Masters,' airing Sundays at 10pm ET/9pm CT through August 19. The show is a special edition of the cooking competition in which 16 chefs compete for a $50,000 grand prize over five episodes. Sanchez is joined by fellow judges Amanda Freitag and Marc Murphy, as well as host Ted Allen. Click here for photos, videos, and more information on 'Chopped Grill Masters.' 2012 is proving to be a banner year for Sanchez: • A veteran of Food Network hits like 'Chopped', 'Heat Seekers' and 'Chefs vs. City,' Sanchez will appear on the Food Network's 'Best Thing I Ever Made,' the hit show where chefs and food experts share their culinary secrets. • This fall, Sanchez will film 'Chefs Aventureros,' a new Spanish-language travel/food series for Utilisima, and in winter 2013 will shoot the second season of Utilisma's #1-rated cooking series 'Aaron Loves New York,' a New York-centric cooking show in which Aarón shares his personal stories and his love of Latin flavors with friends, family and guests. • Sanchez recently appeared at the White House as a special guest chef, and in the coming months he will appear at the New York Wine & Food and Miami Wine & Food festivals. • Sanchez has teamed with Bud Light for a national year-long grilling campaign: "Amigos y Carne Asada." Sanchez will host a series of lively parties, Carne Asada cook-offs and will appear in bilingual TV creative, beginning with a 30 second commercial titled "Anecdote & Fuel." Additionally, Sanchez will appear in bilingual print, radio, outdoor, digital and point-of-sale materials. About Aarón Sanchez: Specializing in contemporary Mexican and Latin cuisines as the executive chef/owner of Kansas City's Mestizo, as well as the culinary visionary behind Crossroads at House of Blues nationwide, Sanchez has been praised as a chef who "repeatedly transforms the familiar" (New York Magazine). The recipient of the "National Award" at the Flavors of Passion Awards, honoring the nation's best Latino chefs. Sanchez was also nominated for "Rising Star Chef of the Year" by the James Beard Foundation in 2005. Sanchez has been named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in People Magazine, where his recipes have been published. Sanchez is a major personality outside of the television and restaurant worlds, having published two books ('La Comida del Barrio' and 'Simple Food, Big Flavor: Unforgettable Mexican-Inspired Recipes from My Kitchen to Yours') and designed the first-ever line of signature chef shoes (http://www.mozoshoes.com/mozo-world/chef-cabinet/aaron-sanchez) for MOZO Shoes, a Deckers Corporation company.