ABC has put into development a family restaurant comedy inspired by the memoir by celebrity chef Aarón Sánchez. The project hails from The Real O’Neals writer-producer Rob Sudduth, Eva Longoria and Ben Spector’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment and 20th TV, where the company has a first-look deal.
Penned by Sudduth, the untitled Where I Come From project centers on divorced chef Zoila Sanchez, who has always told stories through her food. And that food’s got some explaining to do: she uprooted her fraternal twin sons Alex and Rafael from El Paso to New York so she can fulfill her dream of opening a restaurant. As they all struggle to make sense of their odd new world, they must lean on each other like never before and use the family business to forge a new community — one meal at a time.
The story is inspired by Sánchez’s memoir Where I Come From: Life Lessons From a Latino Chef, which was published last month. The characters Zoila Sanchez and her fraternal twin sons, Alex and Rafael, were inspired by Aaron’s mother, Zarela Martinez, who was also a famous chef, and Aaron and his fraternal twin brother, Rodrigo.
Sudduth, who was born and raised by a Latino family in Texas, executive produces alongside Longoria and Spector through UnbeliEVAable and Sanchez.
The Food Network staple and James Beard winner Sánchez also co-stars on Fox’s MasterChef and MasterChef Jr, and in 2016 founded a scholarship fund for aspiring chefs from the Latin community, providing mentorship opportunities and scholarships to the International Culinary Center in New York.
UnbeliEVAble is coming off the soapy summer drama Grand Hotel, which ran on ABC for one season. It featured a strong Latinx presence in front of and behind the camera. The company also produced the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary Reversing Roe which premiered this fall at Telluride.
Sudduth’s writing credits include the upcoming Netflix comedy series Slutty Teenage Bounty Hunters, Lifetime’s American Princess, and Netflix’s On My Block.
UnbeliEVAable is repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Sánchez is repped by CAA.
Source: Deadline
