José Ramón Andrés Puerta (Spanish pronunciation:[xoˈseraˈmonanˈdɾesˈpweɾta]; born 13 July 1969) is a Spanish-American chef andrestaurateur. 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 (including severalJames Beard Awards), and his humanitarian work. He is a professor as well as the founder of the Global Food Institute atGeorge Washington University.[1]
José Ramón Andrés Puerta was born inMieres, Asturias, Spain,[5] on 13 July 1969.[6] Andrés' family moved toCatalonia when he was 6.[7] He enrolled in culinary school inBarcelona at the age of 15, and when he needed to fulfill hisSpanish military service at the age of 18, he was assigned to cook for an admiral.[8] He met Spanish chefFerran Adrià in Barcelona, and he worked for three years at Adrià's restaurantEl Bulli inRoses, Catalonia, from 1988 to 1990.[9] In December 1990, he was fired by Adrià and he decided to move to the United States.[10]
At the age of 21, Andrés arrived inNew York City to cook in MidtownManhattan at an outpost of a popular Spanish restaurant, Eldorado Petit. During his time in New York, he also staged servings atThe Quilted Giraffe.[8] In 1993, Andrés was hired to lead the kitchen atJaleo, a newtapas restaurant inWashington, 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.[11] In 2003, Andrés started aminibar – a restaurant space within a larger restaurant – at a six-seat counter within Café Atlántico.[11][8] ThisMinibar eventually became a stand-alone restaurant with a twelve-seat counter. Seats are released on a monthly basis; according to theWashington Post they typically are reserved within 24 hours.[12]
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.[5] He also published his first book,Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America, in 2005.[11] In 2006, he partnered with Robert Wilder to form ThinkFoodGroup, making Andrés a co-owner in his restaurants.[11] Together, they opened more restaurants in Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Puerto Rico.[9]
World Central Kitchen (WCK) raised almost $30 million in 2019, then $250 million in 2020.[24] In response to the2010 Haiti earthquake, Andrés provided locally cooked dishes specific to the region essential to comforting people touched by disasters.[25] Since it was founded, theNGO has organized meals in theDominican Republic,Nicaragua,Zambia,Peru,Cuba,Uganda,Palestine,Cambodia,[2] and inPoland on the border ofUkraine.[26] It has provided aid and meals in the United States and Puerto Rico and has helped during theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Andrés runs WCK's operations with the help of about 200 colleagues[27] including CEO Erin Gore and Director of Emergency responseSam Bloch.[28]
In 2022, WCK took in $519 million in grants and donations.[24]
On 1 April 2024, seven WCK employees in Gaza werekilled by multiple Israeli drone strikes in the city ofDeir al-Balah.[31][32][33] 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". TheGaza war, he said, is "not a war against terrorism anymore" but a "war against humanity itself."[34][35] 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."[36]
minibar by José Andrés –Washington, D.C. – several chefs serve aprix fixe menu of about 25 small courses to twelve diners at a time.[39] Received two stars from the DC edition of theMichelin Guide in 2016.[40]
barmini by José Andrés – Washington, D.C. – Cocktail bar adjacent to minibar.
é by José Andrés –Las Vegas – several chefs serve aprix fixe menu of about 25 small courses to nine diners at a time. Modeled after minibar and located insideJaleo.[41]
The Bazaar by José Andrés –Miami Beach, Washington, D.C., andNew York City[42] – A combination of traditional Spanish tapas and foods inspired bymolecular gastronomy. Previously, in 2008, José Andrés openedThe Bazaar within the SLS Beverly Hills hotel, with interiors designed byPhillippe Starck. Shortly after, he openedSaam at the Bazaar, a small tasting menu bar behind the main dining room, which was later relaunched in 2018 asSomni, with which the Spanish chefAitor Zabala was awarded two Michelin stars. BothThe Bazaar andSomni were forced to close permanently in 2020 during theCOVID-19 pandemic.
Bazaar Meat by José Andrés – Las Vegas,Chicago, andLos Angeles (opening in 2025)[43] – Modern, high-end steakhouse featuring imported cuts of rare meat.
Bar Mar by José Andrés – Chicago andGlendale (inside of VAI Resort) – Seafood-focused happy hour venue with a raw bar and fancy cocktails.[44]
Bazaar Mar – Las Vegas (insideThe Shops at Crystals)[45] – Seafood-driven interactive restaurant highlighting Spanish flavors.
Bar Centro – Las Vegas (adjacent toBazaar Mar inside The Shops at Crystals) – Spanish bakery and craft cocktail bar.[45]
Airlight – Downtown Los Angeles (at the Conrad Hotel) – Poolside café featuring handheld bites and creative cocktails.[47]
The Beaudry Room – Downtown Los Angeles (at the Conrad Hotel) – Lobby bar featuring experimental cocktails and bite-sized tapas.[47]
Butterfly — located on the rooftop of the Shay Hotel, aDestination by Hyatt property, inCulver City, California — Mexican and Latin concept featuring tacos, ceviches, and agave spirits.[48]
China Chilcano by José Andrés – Washington, DC – Chinese, Japanese and Peruvian fusion. Included inMichelin Guide'sBib Gourmand list of exceptional restaurants at moderate prices.[49]
China Poblano by José Andrés – Las Vegas – Chinese and Mexican fusion.
Jaleo by José Andrés – Washington, D.C.,Orlando (inside ofDisney Springs entertainment complex), and Las Vegas – Traditional Spanishtapas. DC location included inMichelin Guide'sBib Gourmand list of exceptional restaurants at moderate prices.[49]
Oyamel – New York City and Washington, D.C. – Small plates andantojitos. Included inMichelin Guide'sBib Gourmand list of exceptional restaurants at moderate prices.[49]
Pepe – Washington, D.C. (food truck) and Orlando (brick-and-mortar location inside of Disney Springs complex) – Fast-casual Spanish concept featuring sandwiches, salads, gazpacho, and more.
San Laurel – Downtown Los Angeles (at the Conrad Hotel) – An interpretation of California cuisine through a Spanish lens.[47]
Spanish Diner – (Inside of NYC's Mercado Little Spain) – A Spanish take on the classic American diner. It servesasturian cuisine dishes includingArroz a la Cubana (a plate of rice, tomato and two fried eggs with sausage and sweet banana).[51]
Zaytinya – Washington, D.C., New York City, Miami Beach, Culver City, Las Vegas, and Palo Alto (opening soon)[52] – Small plates of food from the Mediterranean regions ofGreece,Turkey, andLebanon. Included inMichelin Guide'sBib Gourmand list of exceptional restaurants at moderate prices.[49]
2025 –Presidential Medal of Freedom, for being a “renowned Spanish-American culinary innovator who popularized tapas in the United States. His World Central Kitchen provides large-scale relief to communities affected by natural disasters and conflict around the world”.[75]
Andrés married to Patricia "Tichi" Fernández de la Cruz in September 1995.[90] The couple has three daughters; they live inBethesda, Maryland, United States.[91][92][93] He met his wife while they were both living in Washington, D.C.; she is originally fromCádiz, Andalusia,[94] in the southwest of Spain.[93] He became a naturalizedU.S. citizen in December 2013.[95]
Andrés, José; Wolffe, Richard (2018).We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time.Anthony Bourdain/Ecco.ISBN978-0062864482. – afterHurricane Maria in 2017, Chef José Andrés had a "crazy dream" to feed Puerto Rico.
Andrés, José; Goulding, Matt (2019).Vegetables Unleashed—A Cookbook. Anthony Bourdain/Ecco.ISBN978-0062668387.
Andrés, José; Chapple-Sokol, Sam;World Central Kitchen (2023).The WCK Cookbook — Feeding Hope, feeding Humanity.Clarkson Potter.ISBN 9780593579077. – a cookbook on dishes served on the ground with his NGO and recipes celebrating the countries they have served.
^abcRuhlman, Michael (Fall 2016)."José Andrés".Humanities.37 (4). National Endowment for the Humanities.
^ab"All about Chef José Andrés".explorelasvegas.com. Retrieved23 November 2018.He started his culinary career when he interned at the world-famous El Bulli Restaurant in Catalonia, Spain with friend, mentor, and equally-famous Ferran Adrià. He worked in El Bulli for three years from 1988 to 1990.
