José Andrés

A native of Spain, José Andrés is chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup, the team responsible for Washington’s popular and award-winning dining concepts Jaleo, Zaytinya, Oyamel, Café Atlantico and the critically-acclaimed minibar by josé andrés, as well as Los Angeles’ exciting new destination, The Bazaar by José Andrés, part of the SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills. ThinkFoodGroup oversees all of José’s creative endeavors such as cookbooks, television programming, concept consulting and project development.

José is credited with introducing Americans to both avant-garde and traditional Spanish cooking. Food & Wine hailed José as the “hero of the Spanish revolution,” who “helped create the Spanish food boom in America.” And the New York Times called him “the boy wonder of culinary Washington.” The James Beard Foundation recognized him with the award for “Best Chef: Mid Atlantic” in 2003, inducted him into the Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America in 2007, and nominated him for “Outstanding Chef” in 2008 and 2009 for his work at minibar.

Often referred to as Spain’s unofficial ambassador to the United States, José is host and executive producer of the PBS television series Made in Spain, a culinary journey of his homeland. He has authored several cookbooks including the companion to the PBS series, Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen and Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America. José is also a television star in Spain, where his production “Vamos a Cocinar” on Televisión Española (TVE) was the country’s most popular cooking program, revolutionizing food television in Spain. It now airs across Latin America on the Casa Club cable channel.

Throughout his career, José has drawn the praise of the public, the press and his peers for his vision, imagination and winning restaurant concepts. Jose regularly appears on television and radio with spots on NBC’s “Today”, NPR’s “Splendid Table” and “All Things Considered”, and Food Network’s “Iron Chef”. He has appeared alongside late night hosts David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and Craig Ferguson. He is also a favorite feature of the food press, appearing in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Financial Times, Gourmet, USA Today, Taste of Home, People and People en Español.

José is Chairman Emeritus of DC Central Kitchen, a cause very close to his heart, and he lives in Maryland with his wife and three daughters.