José Andrés

José Ramón Andrés Puerta born 13 July 1969 is a Spanish-American chef, restaurateur, and founder of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a non-profit devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. He is often credited with bringing the small plates dining concept to America. He owns restaurants in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Las Vegas, South Beach, Florida, Orlando, and New York City.

He was awarded a 2015 National Humanities Medal at a 2016 White House ceremony for his work with World Central Kitchen.

Early life and education

José Ramón Andrés Puerta was born in Mieres, Principality of Asturias, Spain.

Though not growing up near Jewish families, when in the US, he pointed to traces of Jewish culture in Spanish dishes.

Andrés enrolled in culinary school in Barcelona at the age of 15, and when he needed to complete his Spanish military service at age 18, he was assigned to cook for an admiral. He met Ferran Adrià in Barcelona, and he worked three years at El Bulli, from 1988 to 1990. In December 1990, he was fired by Adrià and decided to move to the United States.

Culinary career

Coming to America

At the age of 21, Andrés arrived in New York City with $50 (equivalent to $98 in 2019), to cook in midtown Manhattan at an outpost of a popular Spanish restaurant, Eldorado Petit. During his time in New York, he also staged servings at The Quilted Giraffe.

In 1993, he was hired to lead the kitchen at Jaleo, a new tapas restaurant in Washington, D.C. In subsequent years, he helped the owners of Jaleo to open more restaurants: Cafe Atlantico, Zaytinya and Oyamel, along with two more Jaleo outposts.

In 2003, Andrés started minibar – a restaurant space within a larger restaurant – at a six-seat counter within Cafe Atlantico. minibar is devoted to serving the most creative Andrés plates, and reservations would fill up a month in advance.

Celebrity chef and restaurateur

As his restaurants in America enjoyed success, Andrés became more famous in his native Spain, starring in his own cooking show, Vamos a Cocinar, which debuted in 2005. He also published his first book, Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America, in 2005.

In 2006, he negotiated with Robert Wilder to form ThinkFoodGroup, making Andrés a co-owner in his restaurants. Together, they opened more restaurants in Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Puerto Rico.

Beginning in the fall of 2010, Andrés taught a culinary physics course at Harvard University with Ferran Adrià. In May 2012, Andrés was named dean of Spanish Studies at The International Culinary Center, where he and Colman Andrews developed a curriculum in traditional and modern Spanish cuisine, which debuted in February 2013. On 29 October 2012, he announced he was heading back to the classroom, and would teach his first course on how food shapes civilization at George Washington University.

Right-wing columnist Ann Coulter decried Andrés as a “nut foreigner” after the latter suggested President Joe Biden should use the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to address hunger in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Andrés replied, “I’m so proud you called me a Nut. Nuts are fruits where the ovary walls become hard so I can be Protector of my people and everyone else. Nuts like me? energy-dense, nutrient-rich, what we need to feed USA. Nuts?You right girl, ‘foreigners’ like almonds+pistachios!Happy holidays!”

Trump Hotel restaurant and lawsuit

Andrés planned to open a restaurant in the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, in 2016. After Donald Trump made disparaging comments about undocumented Mexican immigrants in June 2015, Andrés withdrew from the contract with the Trump Organization, which then sued him. Andrés counter-sued, and the parties reached a settlement in April 2017. Andrés remains an outspoken critic of Trump.

World Central Kitchen

In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Andrés formed World Central Kitchen which provides healthy food to families and individuals touched by disasters. Since it was founded, the NGO has organized meals in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Zambia, Peru, Cuba, Uganda, and in Cambodia. It has provided aid and meals in the United States and Puerto Rico and has helped during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Restaurants

Along with partner Rob Wilder, Andrés owns several restaurants:

Signature restaurants:

• minibar by José Andrés – Washington, DC – several chefs serve a prix fixe menu of about 25 small courses to twelve diners at a time. Received two stars from the DC edition of the Michelin Guide in 2016.
• é by José Andrés – Las Vegas – several chefs serve a prix fixe menu of about 25 small courses to nine diners at a time. Modeled after minibar and located inside Jaleo.
• Somni – Los Angeles – Small ten-seat dining room inside The Bazaar, replacing SAAM. Led by chef Aitor Zabala. Received two stars in the 2019 Michelin Guide for California.

Other restaurants:

• America Eats Tavern – Washington, DC – Traditional American dishes in conjunction with the Foundation for the National Archives.
• barmini by José Andrés – Washington, DC – Cocktail bar adjacent to minibar.
• The Bazaar – Los Angeles and Miami Beach – A combination of traditional Spanish tapas and foods inspired by molecular gastronomy.
• Bazaar Meat by José Andrés – Las Vegas – Modern steakhouse located in the Sahara Hotel.
• Beefsteak – Washington, DC, Bethesda, Maryland, and in the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio – Vegetable-focused fast-casual restaurant.
• Butterfly Tacos y Tortas — located in Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland — Mexican and Latin.
• China Chilcano – Washington, DC – Chinese, Japanese and Peruvian fusion. Included in Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list of exceptional restaurants at moderate prices.
• China Poblano – Las Vegas – Chinese and Mexican fusion.
• Fish – Paradise Island, Bahamas – Fresh Seafood and Bahamian Food
• Jaleo – Washington, DC, Bethesda, Maryland, Arlington, Virginia, Orlando, Las Vegas – Traditional Spanish tapas. DC location included in Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list of exceptional restaurants at moderate prices.
• Mercado Little Spain – New York City – Spanish food hall in The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards.
• Ovations by America Eats – Vienna, Virginia – Traditional American dishes in conjunction with the Foundation for the National Archives.
• Oyamel – Washington, DC – Small plates and antojitos. Included in Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list of exceptional restaurants at moderate prices.
• Pepe – Washington, DC, and Orlando – Food Truck serving Spanish flautas.
• Tres by José Andrés – Los Angeles – Lobby restaurant located in the SLS Hotel.
• Zaytinya – Washington, DC – Small plates of food from the Mediterranean regions of Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon. Included in Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list of exceptional restaurants at moderate prices.

Awards and honors

Awards and prizes

• 2003 – Best Chef of the Mid-Atlantic Region, James Beard Foundation
• 2010 – Orden de las Artes y las Letras de España – Order of Arts and Letters, Cabinet of Spain
• 2010 – Vilcek Prize in Culinary Arts
• 2011 – Outstanding Chef, James Beard Foundation
• 2015 – National Humanities Medal, National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), United States government
• 2017 – Lifetime Achievement Award, International Association of Culinary Professionals
• 2018 – James Beard Foundation Award for Humanitarian of the Year

Media honors

• 2004 – Saveur 100 List, Saveur
• 2004 – Chef of the Year, Bon Appetit
• 2009 – Chef of the Year, GQ
• 2012 – One of the world’s 100 most influential people, Time
• 2016 – Michelin Guide Washington, DC, 2 Michelin stars for minibar by José Andrés
• 2018 – One of the world’s 100 most influential people, Time

Honorary degrees

• Andrés received in May 2014, an honorary doctorate degree in public service from George Washington University, and served as the university’s commencement speaker at the National Mall the same year.
• In May 2018, Andrés received an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from Tufts University and served as the commencement speaker for the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.

Nominations

• In 2015, Andrés was appointed by President Barack Obama as an ambassador for citizenship and naturalization.
• In 2018, Andrés was named a Nobel Peace Prize nominee for his humanitarian work.

Personal life

Andrés is married to Patricia “Tichi” Fernández de la Cruz and has three daughters; they live in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. He met his wife while they were both living in Washington DC; she is originally from Cadiz, Andalucía in the southwest of Spain.

He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in December 2013.

Filmography

Date	Title	Type	Role	Episode(s)	Notes
2005–2007	Vamos a cocinar	Television	Producer and host		Vamos a cocinar, a food program on Televisión Española.
2007	Iron Chef America	Television	Himself, chef		defeated Bobby Flay.
2008	Made in Spain	Television			a 26-part series for public television.
2008	Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations	Television	Himself, chef		Washington, DC episode.
2010	Top Chef	Television	Guest judge	season 7, episode 8, “Foreign Affair”
2013	The Taste	Television	Guest judge, mentor
2013–2015	Hannibal	Television	Culinary consultant
2017	American Masters	Television	Himself, chef	season 31, episode 5, “Jacques Pépin: The Art of Craft”	Discussing working with chef, Jacques Pépin.
2018	Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown	Television	Himself, chef	season 12, episode 2	Filmed in Asturias, Spain
2021	Waffles + Mochi	Television	Himself, chef	season 1, episode 1, “Tomato”