Celebrity Chef Aaron Sanchez's All Time Favorite Fast Food

It's a chef's quiet confession: Even the most celebrated cooks sometimes crave a drive-thru treat. For celebrity chef Aarón Sánchez, the indulgence of choice is Whataburger — and not because of nostalgia alone. The Texas-born chain builds its burgers with mustard as the only condiment cozied up beside diced onions, pickles, lettuce, and tomato, and for Sánchez to claim it as his favorite fast food restaurant burger is quite the endorsement. That one decision roots Whataburger in a distinctly Texan tradition. Sánchez knows — he's from El Paso – that mustard only as a burger condiment is a choice — a big, Texas-style one to boot. 

In Texas, the hamburger's roots run deep — and one figure credited for the texas-style burger's invention is Fletcher Davis (aka Uncle Dave). In the late 1880s, his legendary ground-beef patties with Bermuda onions and homemade bread were held together with a hefty slather of mustard mixed with mayo. Through the years, Texans dropped the mayo addition and defaulted to a mustard-only state of mind. Old-school joints like Herd's (beyond fitting) are still searing burgers on a cast-iron grill and serving them with mustard – just like has been done since 1916.

Whataburger, keeping tradition, followed suit. Founded in Corpus Christi in 1950, the regional fast-food chain leans hard into its Texas-style burger heritage. Sánchez does some leaning, too, with his bold Latin cooking that relies on layers of thoughtful flavors — the proud Texan knows how to make mustard the best that it can be, and it shows in his signature recipes.

Sánchez spent a career exploring the interplay of heat, acid, and spice, and while Texas is a fantastic place to wield a yellow squeeze bottle, Sánchez did most of his cooking in New Orleans. His mentor, Chef Paul Prudhomme, taught him early on how mustard makes a fantastic emulsion. The way Sánchez uses it in a vinaigrette to pair with beets and a soft goat cheese – is a steamy chef's kiss. With the addition of roasted jalapeño and agave, Sánchez knows the tart mustard balances the pepper's heat and the syrup's intense sweetness. It very much gives unexpected Tex-Mex at its finest — a true blend of a Chef's upbringing and his creativity.

Mustard appears as a way to wake up heavier proteins too. His adobo-rubbed pork ribs feature yellow mustard seed, and while it's not prepared mustard, it lends the same punch of flavor, but with subtlety. Ground alongside many other spices, from cumin to turmeric, this dish dances with a sultry, spicy aroma. Whether it's the beckon of the mustardy burger or the layers of flavor that come along with smoked pork, Sánchez also knows that culinary inspiration is a mood.