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Chef Aaron Melendrez

@chefaaronmelendrez

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Chef/Co-Owner @uptown_provisions
Professional Amateur Dirt Jogger 🏃🏽
Deli Dad • P/T Punk • Storyteller
Familia First • Lunch is Sacred

POSTS STORIES REELS

Ok we *need* one of these sandwiches from @uptown_provisions asap 🥪 We love the way Chef @requiem4adrink thinks about the details. And he doesn’t have to look very far to find his inspo, as he gets it right from his community in LA—tapping into the flavors, music, and culture of the city to create the colorful, flavorful sandwiches we see in his restaurant 🌴

What Chef Aaron and his wife and co-owner @sarahlippy have built in Uptown Provisions is not just a tasty place to come eat but also a social hub for the Whittier community 💙

We’re so excited to donate on behalf of Uptown Provisions to Warriors Community Empowerment Project, an organization that provides space for children in the Whittier community to participate in track and field activities 🏃🏽‍♀️🏃🏽

Want to learn more about this business and the others that we spotlight? Check out our “Supporting Local Communities” page ~ link in bio 🫶

And if you’re in the LA area, head to Uptown Provisions, order a deli sandwich, grab a Vita Coco Coconut Juice from the cooler (we can confirm it pairs great with any of these sandwiches 😋), grab a seat, and stay awhile! by @chefaaronmelendrez

Massive bites on Explore Food (@explorefoodtv) today. Spent some time in Whittier with Chef Aaron and Sarah at Uptown Provisions (@uptown_provisions). I feel so lucky to have such awesome friends all across the country. Enjoy!

Ps: @zabs hot honey made our Sarah Curry Chicken sandwich do even more numbers!

@explorefoodtv | @uptown_provisions | @requiem4adrink by @chefaaronmelendrez

you guys, i'm so behind right now. like months it's been so dope . been cooking my ass off and running my ass off. still same guy chasing my dreams . i've come to accept my lane is my lane though. i never be a champion chef, a champion barman or a champion runner. i'm just the fucken champ . my own special lane. just me, just like this . nothing traditional about this.,43 years old chasing the best version of me. if that inspires you give me a mf like. by @chefaaronmelendrez

By nightfall I’d raced through Whittier, escorted a little ninja door to door, and become a man whose sunglasses raised serious questions.

Hell of a Saturday. Who knew whittier was actually Bat 🦇 county

#halloween2026 by @chefaaronmelendrez

what a life to call mine.

#sandosanddream by @chefaaronmelendrez

Not me slamming mini beers in lederhosen in the local library 😂
oktoberfest is always such a blast. I love working @whittier_plf every year to make sure we raise money for such an important cause.
#booktoberfest by @chefaaronmelendrez

I spent a lot of time before this wondering if I’d done enough, if I belonged out there, if I was about to fuck around and find out I wasn’t ready. I loved getting past the miles I had had met before and discovering what I could do. But best believe I got humbled too. Two falls (one that almost took me out) on the descents, hamstrings cramping so badly I couldn’t move through my full stride, and I skipped one too many leg days to see what my full potential was the last half of the race. I wanted to run more than my body was letting me, and that was frustrating as fuck. Seeing Sarah and the Rio out there meant everything. A hug, some warm broth, their face, it gave me courage to head back out knowing there was still work ahead.

I’m proud of finishing, and I can admit how much I still have to learn. I'm gonna get stronger, prepare better, and give myself a chance to see what’s possible with consistent work. There’s the beast in me trying to show up, and I’m going to keep pushing to meet him. Right now he’s sore, grateful, and very happy to be home. Time to get my ass back in the kitchen!

#keepcooking #50k #utmbworldseries by @chefaaronmelendrez

Lately

A bunch of small victories, special moments, a lot to be thankful for. Sometimes I’m so caught up in keeping life moving that I don’t stop long enough to take it in. Looking through these photos, I’m glad I reflected and smiled back on a little of it. Good people in my life . Hard earned progress I'm really fucken proud of. Moments I want to give myself time to appreciate. Trying to slow down enough to FEEL it while I’m here. I guess we should all take a moment to think about the broke down, trying to figure shit out, starving for a break version of ourselves and remind him it's gonna be all good.

#keepfuckenpushing by @chefaaronmelendrez

Sarah and @chefaaronmelendrez celebrated five years of @uptown_provisions with a community block party that had free rides, games, experiences and crafts for kids. They also brought out a lot of fellow food vendors and turned their block in Uptown Whittier into a festival this past Sunday.

Video by @marianacardenasc_ for The LA Local

#whittier #sandwichlover #lafood #latinoownedbusiness by @chefaaronmelendrez

Five years ago, we opened the doors with no guarantees just a belief that great food and genuine hospitality could build something sacred in a community.

This morning looked a lot like thousands of mornings before it. A caffeine dose before prep begins. High fives in the kitchen. Catering and those first orders headed out the door. The flow that built Uptown Provisions.

And somehow… here we are.

On Sunday, September 13, we’re closing the street to celebrate with the people who made all of this possible.

Expect guest chefs, a vintage market, community vendors, music, a butterfly ranch, kids creating art, the Sando Circuit preview, exclusive merch, a few surprises, and a whole lot of high fives.

HIGH FIVE FEST

Five Years Later… We’re Still Just Getting Started.

This is only the beginning.

Part Two is coming. ✋

#wherethesandwichesareprettier #uptownwhittier #yourmomandpopfoodshop #sandosanddreams #highfivefest by @chefaaronmelendrez

You guys, I’m so behind right now. Like, months. It’s been so dope.
I’ve been cooking my ass off and running my ass off. Still the same guy, chasing my dreams. I’ve come to accept my lane is my lane, though. I’ll never be a champion chef, a champion barman, or a champion runner.I’m just the fuckin’ champ.

My own special lane. Just me. Just like this. Nothing traditional about this.43 years old, chasing the best version of me.

If that inspires you, give me a mf like. by @chefaaronmelendrez

Every year I forget. Then Tales reminds me.

It reminds me that hospitality isn’t a job, it’s a personality disorder. We voluntarily chase impossible standards, survive on caffeine adrenaline, sneaky beers and shots and convince ourselves four more events before we shut it down for the night is a perfectly reasonable idea.

I’m a chef now. I spend most of my year obsessing over food.
But for one week I get to step back into the world that raised me and i make fucken drinks! And a lot of them

It's been the same homies year over year but yet i'm a little happier to see them each time . Some of them even live in LA yet we only find time once a year to chat in an air plane isle or over a drunken poboy at verti mart at 4:30am . No matter how we got there we are all there because we share something very special, the same twisted obsession with getting every detail right and making everything taste perfect.

Tales sucks every bit of life from you .That’s the deal.
We don’t come here to survive. We go to empty the tank. When it's time to go home you know cuz your heart is full of joy, your body is straight taxed, you made enough new memories to last you until next year.

big shout out to my whole squad for letting me do what i do best, COOK! Thousands and thousands of cocktails for one single party. What a joy it is to see it all come together.

if you made it this far i hid a nugget of a clip of @erykahbadu singing Candy Man. I about died hearing that 🤌🏼

#totc2026 by @chefaaronmelendrez