Chef Yanni Sanchez | Source

Michelin-rated Chef Yanni Sanchez credits her grandmother and nanny as the real teachers who in- stilled in her the love of and appreciation for the cuisine of her homeland. Sanchez studied at the Culinary Institute of Mexico in Puebla, where she graduated as Chef International and began an internship at Fiesta Americana in Cancun, Mexico. She completed her training at the Ecole de Paris Boulangerie Patisserie in Paris, France. After finishing her education, she worked at the Ritz Paris, the Mayan Palace in Acapulco and Cancun in Mexico.

Returning to Chicago, Sanchez was sous chef for the Art Institute of Chicago and then opened her first Chicago upscale gourmet restaurant Sabor Savuer in 2009. Here she introduced diners to dishes that put a French twist on Mexican flavors and earned critical acclaim. In 2013, she was a consulting chef for CINE in Hinsdale, Illinois while creating new concepts for clients nationwide and a corporate chef in Philadelphia.

Yanni consulted on the menu Takito Brands Restaurants (Bar Takito, Takito Kitchen and Takito Street) and in 2019, she opened Mercado Cocina Cantina in Glenview, Illinois. Due to the pandemic, plans for Mercado were not realized, but her relationship with Takito Brands Restaurants in Chicago Owner Mario Ponce led her back to Takito Restaurants where she is now Executive Chef.

Takito Brands Restaurants is known for its unusual take on street tacos, Mexican and Latin American cuisine and its handmade margaritas made with fresh ingredients.