Distractify: What does being a judge on MasterChef mean to you and how does it enhance your career?
AS: The word “chef” really breaks down to teacher at the end of the day. The kitchen is the salvation for a lot of people. It’s a place where you learn structure, discipline, mentoring, all these valuable attributes that every young person should have. For me, it was something that was so critical for a very difficult time in my life, personal and otherwise.
I’ve always taken those lessons, and through my experience and through my knowledge, I want to pass that down to the next generation. I do that through my scholarship fund where I put Latino kids into culinary school. Being able to be an example in the Latin community, that’s a really big part of my identity and who I am. And it feels great.
