José Andrés

José grew up in Spain, where he learned the craft of cooking first from his parents and then in the kitchen of elBulli, culinary luminary Ferran Adrià’s groundbreaking avant-garde restaurant. He immigrated to the United States in 1991, first to New York City and later to Washington, D.C., where he and his partners established a group of restaurants that has earned countless fans and won numerous awards over the years.

"We love to eat the food that we grew up with, the dishes of our mothers, our grandmothers, our families. At Spanish Diner, we are bringing what we love from home – eggs, stews, sandwiches – and sharing them with you. ¡Buen provecho!" – Chef José Andrés

José holds close both his identity as a Spanish immigrant and an American citizen, placing upon himself the responsibility of both culinary ambassador and immigrant representing the two nations. He is a visionary and a humanitarian, establishing World Central Kitchen in 2010 as a means for feeding the many – using culinary training programs to empower communities and strengthen economies as well as food disaster relief in the wake of emergencies around the globe.

He has been widely recognized for both his culinary and his humanitarian work, including by the James Beard Foundation – which named him Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2003, as well as Humanitarian of the Year in 2018; TIME Magazine, which included him on the list of 100 Most Influential People in 2012 and 2018; and President Obama, who awarded José the National Humanities Medal in 2015. José holds two Michelin stars for his avant-garde tasting counter minibar by José Andrés in Washington, D.C., as well as four Bib Gourmands.