José Andrés


José Ramón Andrés Puerta is a Spanish-American chef and restaurateur. Born in Spain, he moved to the United States in the early 1990s and since then, he has opened restaurants in several American cities. He has won a number of awards, both for his cooking, and his humanitarian work. He is a professor as well as the founder of the Global Food Institute at George Washington University.
Andrés is the founder of World Central Kitchen, a non-profit organization devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. He is often credited with bringing the small plates dining concept to America. He was awarded a 2015 National Humanities Medal at a 2016 White House ceremony for his work with World Central Kitchen. In addition, he has received honorary doctorates from Georgetown University, George Washington University, Harvard University, and Tufts University. In March 2022, he was named as co-chair of the United States President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, a role he served in until he submitted his resignation one week before Donald Trump took office in January 2025.

Early life and education

José Ramón Andrés Puerta was born in Mieres, Asturias, Spain, on 13 July 1969. Andrés' family moved to Catalonia when he was 6. He enrolled in culinary school in Barcelona at the age of 15, and when he needed to fulfill his Spanish military service at the age of 18, he was assigned to cook for an admiral. He met Spanish chef Ferran Adrià in Barcelona, and he worked for three years at Adrià's restaurant El Bulli in Roses, Catalonia, from 1988 to 1990. In December 1990, he was fired by Adrià and he decided to move to the United States.

Culinary career

Coming to the United States

At the age of 21, Andrés arrived in New York City 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, Andrés 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: Café Atlántico, Zaytinya and Oyamel, along with two more Jaleo outposts. In 2003, Andrés started a minibara restaurant space within a larger restaurantat a six-seat counter within Café Atlántico. This Minibar eventually became a stand-alone restaurant with a twelve-seat counter. Seats are released on a monthly basis; according to the Washington Post they typically are reserved within 24 hours.

Chef and restaurateur

As he opened more restaurants in the U.S., Andrés became more well known in his native country 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 partnered 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. He did so until 2023, when he started the Global Food Institute at George Washington University.

Trump Hotel restaurant and lawsuit

Andrés planned to open a restaurant in the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., in 2016. After Donald Trump made disparaging comments about illegal 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.
The Trump International Hotel, Washington, D.C., closed on 11 May 2022. It was sold to CGI Merchant Group, and later reopened as the Waldorf Astoria Washington, D.C., on 1 June 2022. On 13 June 2022, Andrés announced that he would return to the location to open the restaurant that he had planned in the original 2015 deal. The Bazaar by José Andrés opened on 8 February 2023. Andrés remains an outspoken critic of Trump.

World Central Kitchen

raised almost $30 million in 2019, then $250 million in 2020. In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Andrés provided locally cooked dishes specific to the region essential to comforting people touched by disasters. Since it was founded, the NGO has organized meals in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Zambia, Peru, Cuba, Uganda, Palestine, Cambodia, and in Poland on the border of Ukraine. 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. Andrés runs WCK's operations with the help of about 200 colleagues including CEO Erin Gore and Director of Emergency response Sam Bloch.
In 2021, Jeff Bezos, the owner of The Washington Post and founder of Amazon, provided Andrés $100 million through his Courage and Civility Award. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Andrés announced that he was going to donate a part of the $100 million to the organization to address the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
In 2022, WCK took in $519 million in grants and donations.
On 1 April 2024, seven WCK employees in Gaza were killed by multiple Israeli drone strikes in the city of Deir al-Balah. Andrés rejected Israeli and U.S. assertions that the strike was not deliberate, stating the seven employees were "targeted deliberately" and killed "systematically, car by car". The Gaza war, he said, is "not a war against terrorism anymore" but a "war against humanity itself." He writes "We know Israelis. Israelis, in their heart of hearts, know that food is not a weapon of war. Israel is better than the way this war is being waged. It is better than blocking food and medicine to civilians. It is better than killing aid workers who had coordinated their movements with the Israel Defense Forces."

Restaurants

Along with partner Rob Wilder, Andrés owns several restaurants:

Signature restaurants

  • minibar by José Andrés – Washington, D.C. – 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.
  • barmini by José Andrés – Washington, D.C. – Cocktail bar adjacent to minibar.
  • 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.
  • The Bazaar by José Andrés – Miami Beach, Washington, D.C., and New York City – A combination of traditional Spanish tapas and foods inspired by molecular gastronomy. Previously, in 2008, José Andrés opened The Bazaar within the SLS Beverly Hills hotel, with interiors designed by Phillippe Starck. Shortly after, he opened Saam at the Bazaar, a small tasting menu bar behind the main dining room, which was later relaunched in 2018 as Somni, with which the Spanish chef Aitor Zabala was awarded two Michelin stars. Both The Bazaar and Somni were forced to close permanently in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Bazaar Meat by José Andrés – Las Vegas, Chicago, and Los Angeles – Modern, high-end steakhouse featuring imported cuts of rare meat.
  • Bar Mar by José Andrés – Chicago and Glendale – Seafood-focused happy hour venue with a raw bar and fancy cocktails.
  • Bazaar Mar – Las Vegas – Seafood-driven interactive restaurant highlighting Spanish flavors.
  • Bar Centro – Las Vegas – Spanish bakery and craft cocktail bar.
  • Nubeluz – New York City – Rooftop cocktail bar at the Ritz-Carlton in NoMad, Manhattan.

    Other restaurants

  • Airlight – Downtown Los Angeles – Poolside café featuring handheld bites and creative cocktails.
  • The Beaudry Room – Downtown Los Angeles – Lobby bar featuring experimental cocktails and bite-sized tapas.
  • Butterfly — located on the rooftop of the Shay Hotel, a Destination by Hyatt property, in Culver City, California — Mexican and Latin concept featuring tacos, ceviches, and agave spirits.
  • China Chilcano by José Andrés – Washington, DC – Chinese, Japanese and Peruvian fusion. Included in Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand list of exceptional restaurants at moderate prices.
  • China Poblano by José Andrés – Las Vegas – Chinese and Mexican fusion.
  • Fish by José Andrés – Paradise Island, Bahamas – Fresh Seafood and Bahamian Food
  • Jaleo by José Andrés – Washington, D.C., Orlando, and 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.
  • Oyamel – New York City and Washington, D.C. – Small plates and antojitos. Included in Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand list of exceptional restaurants at moderate prices.
  • Pepe – Washington, D.C. and Orlando – Fast-casual Spanish concept featuring sandwiches, salads, gazpacho, and more.
  • San Laurel – Downtown Los Angeles – An interpretation of California cuisine through a Spanish lens.
  • Spanish Diner – – A Spanish take on the classic American diner. It serves asturian cuisine dishes including Arroz a la Cubana.
  • Zaytinya – Washington, D.C., New York City, Miami Beach, Culver City, Las Vegas, and Palo Alt – 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.