Celebrity chef hopes to inspire the next generation of WVU ‘foodies’

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia University students got a little extra from their regular lunch experience on Tuesday, as celebrity chef, Aarón Sánchez, visited his Adobo Cantina dining station at Café Evansdale.

“Food’s great, like usually Adobo Cantina is really good anyway, like best thing at any of the dining halls here but like today especially, like they’ve really outdone themselves, it was so good,” WVU freshman Ren Godwin said.

Famously known for his role as a judge in TV cooking competition shows like Master Chef and Chopped, Sánchez, aims to bring his Latin and Mexican culture to the new generation. He said that he’s on a “constant quest” to be the best in his field, but that he’s also on a quest to spread his culture and food with as many young people as possible.

“If we’re able to introduce new flavors and new dishes, especially from sort of a Mexican background, I think it only creates a lot more excitement and hopefully that they can incorporate that into their repertoire dishes that they cook at home,” said Sánchez.

On Tuesday, Sánchez unveiled the restaurant’s Super Bowl-inspired meals for the day which included wings, meatball sliders and a Mardi Gras Tres Leches for dessert.

Sánchez said that both the concept for the Adobo Cantina and his partners with Sodexo were good because they exposed his style of cooking to a new generation. He said that students are at a crucial age when it comes to forming food opinions and expanding their knowledge and said that he wants to “create the next generation of foodies.”

Currently, the Adobo Cantina has fresh menu items on a regular basis under the guidance of Chef Monica Gaarz. The Cantina is part of the dining hall services in Evansdale and there is no extra cost for students to get a unique restaurant quality experience.

Students like Godwin said that they appreciate the growing range of dining experiences on campus and that it’s good for people who want a “mix of culture.”

WVU officials said the university was the first to have a partnership of this kind in the country, and WVU is only one of two universities in the country to have Chef Sánchez’s Adobo Cantina. Sánchez told 12 News the goal for the future of the Adobo Cantina includes continuing a versatile menu and big events that highlight WVU and Café Evansdale.