5 Dishes That Shaped My Life: Alex Sanchez

Begin to navigate Mumbai’s vibrant dining terrain, and you will come across Americano and Otra. Both restaurants appear high on every list of upscale gastronomic destination recommendations, whether it’s through the blend of glowing online reviews, or the fervent recommendations coming from the serpentine line of loyal patrons.

At the helm of all the magic is Latin American chef, Alex Sanchez, a maestro whose culinary prowess simply must be experienced firsthand to truly appreciate its depth and splendour. He doesn’t simply ‘cook;’ he orchestrates flavours with a sort of finesse and integrity that the city hadn’t seen till he arrived.

Yes, his dishes are popular because they’re Instagrammable works of art, but more than that, they’re authentic and unpretentious. 

Here, Chef Alex Sanchez takes Esquire India down memory lane with five dishes that have true meaning for him.

Mussels in White Wine

This was the dish that changed my life. I was 12 years old, and up until then a very picky eater. We were in a small taverna in Orvieto (Italy), just my mom and I. Naturally, the menu was in Italian and I couldn’t read anything, but I didn’t want to ruin the experience for my mom by complaining. So I just pointed to the first dish I saw, and out came the most frightening thing I could have imagined. I closed my eyes and brought the strange mollusk to my lips. The delicate broth, rich with garlic and the flavour of the sea, washed over my tongue. Pure delight... From then on, my mind was opened to all the other gustatory possibilities, and that is quite possibly the reason I am a chef today.

Lasagna

There are a million lasagnas out there, but there is only one that brings back the fondest of memories, and that is my mom’s lasagna. My mom raised me on her own for most of my childhood. She worked hard and full-time, but still managed to have a home-cooked meal on the table every night for the two of us. The lasagna she made was my favourite, and it was something that took her time to make, which made it all the more special. I remember the taste of course, but above all else, it was the act of putting it together, taking the time and cooking it with love that made it such a cherished family recipe.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken was a big thing in my family growing up and we always seemed to have leftovers in the fridge. During the summers, I would visit my grandmother and she would make chicken noodle soup with the carcass and remaining delicate meat that clung to the bones. Two days before I arrived, she would start the process, “Chicky soup is always better after a few days!” she’d say. And she was right. Her soup was pure comfort, like a big hug. It is something I miss dearly now that she is gone.

Tuna Tartare

When I was 17 years old and starting to grow interested in dining, I remember walking into Aqua—one of San Francisco’s iconic fine dining restaurants of yore—with a friend who I had somehow convinced that this was going to be a meal we could afford. We sat there in our T-shirts and shorts, ordering tasting menus and glasses of wine. It was the first time I had ever had tuna tartare, a preparation particularly special at Aqua where the jewel-like dices of tuna and accoutrements were mixed together tableside. It was a stunner of a dish, so too was the tremendous bill which we were in no position to pay. Sheepishly, I had to explain to the manager why we were dining there in the first place and how we didn’t have the money to satisfy the multiple-figure check. To our astonishment, the manager smiled and informed us that the meal was on the house. It was an act of hospitality and kindness that I will never forget. 

Skate with Bacon Powder and Radicchio 

During my formative years as a young apprentice, I would spend my days off working in other restaurants to learn as much as I could. While living in Atlanta, I was directed by legendary chef, Daniel Boulud, to seek out a local chef by the name of Guenter Seeger. He assured me that if I was able to spend even one day in his kitchen, I would witness some of the finest cooking in all of the United States. And so I did. I managed to secure a stage over the course of several months, on my days off, to work in the kitchen of his eponymous Seeger’s restaurant with his small team. It was an eye-opening, beautiful, and, at times, frighteningly difficult experience. When I completed my stage, Chef Seeger treated me to one of the most memorable meals of my life. Of the multiple courses, there was a dish of simply sautéed skate wing, sitting atop radicchio braised in butter and seasoned with a surgically precise dusting of bacon powder. It was a lesson in restraint, mastery of technique, and reverence for ingredients that has gone on to inspire and inform the way I cook today.