Celebrity chef Aarón Sanchez of Food Network and head chef of our very own Crossroads at House Of Blues restaurant at Showboat Atlantic City, stopped by on Friday to hang with some cool peeps and introduce some Atlantic City media members to some of his favorite dishes (meatball sliders, chicken jambalaya and chile braised short ribs with corn pudding to name a few, pictured below). Check out The Wandering Eater for a further in-depth review on the eats.

Meatball sliders

Chicken jambalaya

Chile braised short ribs with corn pudding

Chef Aarón broke to fame after he was selected as a co-host on Food Network’s Melting Pot where he introduced the world to his tasteful twits on classic Latino cuisine. Since then, Food Network has scooped him up for a slew of shows including Chopped and Chopped All Stars, Chefs vs. City and Iron Chef. He is also the owner and executive chef of the fabulous Mexican eateries Centrico in New York City and Mestizo in Kansas City, KS. The delicious endeavors obviously don’t stop there, though. Aarón is the culinary mastermind behind New York City’s Tacombi restaurant and various Crossroads at House Of Blues joints throughout the country including ours right here in AC and has even penned a few books Simple Food,  Big Flavor and La Comida Del Barrio.

He may also need to add "model" to the list after this money shot.

The list goes on and on and on with this guy. Seriously. He’s also extremely funny, charming and able to bust out a good tune. We know this because he sat down and chatted with us (and serenaded us in Spanish, swoon) amidst a big spread of food at Showboat’s The Foundation Room right before the night’s festivities took action.

Read our amazing conversation below.

TAC: Crossroads is a restaurant where music and art intersect. What kind of a music fan are you and how can you use that to create new dishes?

Aarón Sanchez:  That’s a very good question. [Side note: Thank you, Aarón. Note how we didn't remove this compliment in the editing process.] For me I would add two more to that. I think Crossroads would be art, music, food and spirituality. I think that’s a really big underlying thing with House Of  Blues. I’m a Buddhist, I was married in a Buddhist ceremony and my wife’s a musician, she’s a singer/songwriter, and her father/my father-in-law is a jazz musician who played with Max Roach and all these amazing people, so music has been an absolute, integral part of my life. I grew up with my family, all my aunts playing mariachi music and singing in the ranch in Mexico, and playing guitars and  instruments. So it’s extremely important because to be a good artist, you have to be influenced by other facets of art. That’s why if you are a good artist, you can usually play an instrument or if you’re a musician, you can write,  or you can paint. With my other facets, I write poetry. That’s one of the things I love to do. I think that the food is extremely important, but listening to my wife’s music for instance, it reminds me to remember to cook with love, cook with compassion, cook with restraint, all the things that make really great, harmonious dishes.

TAC:  What makes Crossroads a great Atlantic City dining option?

Aarón Sanchez: House Of Blues and Crossroads pose a real interesting opportunity because you have to have a menu that will appeal to very wide, diverse audiences. You got kids that are coming in here with family to eat and they want burgers and flatbreads on the kids menu, then you have young adults coming to see a show who want something quick that’s not fattening so they can look good, you know what I mean? It runs the gamut. We wanted to create a menu that hits on what my interpretation of what American classics are. We have the signature burgers, we have the flatbreads, we have sliders, great wings, all those things that allowed me the opportunity to create a menu that was everything I wanted to eat.

TAC: Crossroads boasts a “Build Your Own Burger” station. What would be on your burger?

Aarón Sanchez:  I would put homemade pickled onions, chipotle ketchup, an herb mayonnaise that we make in house, a mango mustard, different things that I think would spice up your burger and get away a little bit from the more traditional stuff which you can get anywhere.

TAC:  How do you balance being involved in so many different kitchens all over the country?

Aarón Sanchez: I create a great support system. Before I ever did anything with the House Of Blues, I established a core group of corporate chefs, people that I chose and handpicked that were able to spend enough time with me to understand my vision. And they’re not cooking with me necessarily, we’re going out to eat, we’re going to markets, we’re reading books, I’m showing them what I like so they can understand what’s in here (head) and what’s in here (heart) so they know which avenue not to take and which one to take. That’s how I ensure the quality. I keep constant tabs, have an army of assistants, have a business manager, I have a lot of people that are on my team that make sure everything is up to par.

TAC:  You obviously spend some time in Atlantic City every now and then. What do you like to do when you’re here?

Aarón Sanchez:  I was here in 2003, so I have a lot of memories of coming down here and spending a lot of time here. I was here for three months straight at one point. I like to go to the White House, I have my hoagies there. I go down to Cape May if I get a break. I like to go to some of the more Mom and Pop Italian spots here in town, the red sauce places, you can’t beat them. You walk into some of these joints and you’ve never seen so much cleavage and open-toe shoes in your life and those are just the guys! Those are just dudes, love it! Welcome to Atlantic City! And sweat suits! Matching sweat suits!

TAC: Ha!You also still do tons of TV appearances. What’s a typical day like for you?

Aarón Sanchez:  When you’re a man like me, you have to schedule everything. I have to schedule my family time. Literally my calendar says “don’t book anything ‘cause Aaron has to go to his daughter’s blah blah blah” or I have to go to my house in Long Island. So I have to schedule that and what I do with the restaurants is the same thing. I look at the calendar, I have all my managers call me, and say Aaron, we have a big party coming up here, it would be a good idea if you were here, they’re spending a lot of money they want to see you, boom, so that gets in the calendar. And then with the television, that gets scheduled maybe four to three months out, so that I know for about two-and-a-half weeks I’m going to be in and out of the studio where I book just that time. And then I’ll book a whole week at the restaurant. If you were to ask me tomorrow to do something, I would have to tell you March. The reason it is like that is because I have so many existing relationships with my marketing partners, with Bud Light, Sierra Mist, TJ Maxx, all these people that I work with, that I owe them time. You have to pay the piper!

TAC:  What’s the difference between cooking in front of the camera and not in front of the camera?

Aarón Sanchez:  I think the idea to be successful cooking on camera is to act like you’re cooking in a kitchen. You can’t cater to a camera when it comes to cooking per se. When you’re doing other stuff, you have to. You have to engage your viewer, but cooking on camera is important because you have to make mistakes. When a salt and pepper shaker falls down on camera, I love that. That happens at home! When my pot gets too hot, I love that. Here I am a professional, and that shit happens to me. I want people to understand that we’re on the same level. That’s what makes it cool.

TAC:  You are also a guest on Chopped and Chopped All Stars on Food Network. What do you look for in judging dishes?

Aarón Sanchez:  I look for the basics to be honest. Well seasoned, cooked properly, a balance of acidity, that it’s not one dimensional. I can tell right away looking at a dish if someone has an understanding of how to put food together. The basics need to be done well. That’s why it was important for me to cook on Chopped and Chopped: All Stars because I needed to be able to have a better perspective how to judge. I think it’s very uncool when you have people that judge you, like American Idol, that have never been in the music industry. Imagine if these people were never in the business, you wouldn’t trust their opinion. Same thing with me. I have twenty years in the industry, but I also wanted them to know that I could subject myself to that. That’s important. You’ve got to have humility in life.

TAC:  Can we talk about your tattoos? Which one means the most to you and why?

Aarón Sanchez: I have my sons name, that means a lot to me. I have my wife’s name Ife, which they tell you never to do, never put your wife’s name on you, I have that. I have a big piece from my grandmother here that says Escuela Vieja, old school in Spanish. So for me, I live my life in extremes and the tattoos are not for anybody else, they’re for me. So when people get really sort of weird about tattoos, you shouldn’t, because they’re not bothering you, you’re the one who is being bothered by them. They’re for me. They’re on my body. Again, I love art and pushing it to the max. I want people to have to feel a little uncomfortable at times. Then that means they are gonna have to push themselves to ask tough questions. I like that. People freak out when they see me and they’re like “ohhh, that’s the guy?” Am I supposed to wear a suit? Am I supposed to be a tight ass? What’s the role?

TAC: Truth! And now, a totally fun, typical food question. What is your favorite meal of all time?

Aarón Sanchez: I think my grandmother’s chorizo tacos or her beans that she used to make. My grandmother was mad old school. She would make the chorizo recipe and she would know exactly how much to weigh out for two eggs. She would roll these little parcels, they looked like hash or wheat or something, and then she would wrap them up and freeze them in a Coca Cola box. And then she would defrost them and she knew that that was the perfect amount for two eggs. I remember going to her house and it always being just immaculate. Always food on the stove. A lot of people have that relationship with their grandmothers. Grandmothers are awesome.

And we think that is an awesome way to end this interview. Grandmas ARE awesome Aarón, and so are you. Thank you for being so cool!