José Andrés, well-known chef and restaurateur, can now add Nobel Peace Prize nominee to his roster of impressive accomplishments. Nominated by Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.), Andrés is well-deserving of the award. Winner of this year’s James Beard Foundation’s “Humanitarian of the Year” award, as well as the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the 2015 National Humanities Medal from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Andrés has been an involved humanitarian on top of managing his 31 restaurants. Performing his humanitarian work primarily through his non-profitWorld Central Kitchen, created in 2010 after the devastating earthquakes in Haiti, Andrés has remained committed to the idea of food as a vehicle for change.
World Central Kitchen (WCK) is focused on empowering disadvantaged people through food by providing meals to victims of natural disasters, educating people on food safety and sanitation, providing clean cooking stoves, supporting school kitchens, providing culinary training and education, and supporting food ventures. WCK has worked in Brazil, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nicaragua, Peru, Zambia and most recently in the United States, to provide relief to Puerto Rico and Houston after the destruction of Hurricanes Maria and Harvey and to help families affected by the destructive wildfires in California. The numbers are staggering: 3,000,000 meals served in Puerto Rico; 15,000 Thanksgiving meals served in California; 237,000+ meals served in Indonesia after the earthquake and tsunami hit the island of Sulawesi; 300,000 meals to victims of the Fuego Volcano in Guatemala; 50,000 meals in Hawaii to those affected by the eruption of the Kilauea volcano; the list goes on. It’s clear just why Andrés is so deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize.
All of this work is being accomplished while Andrés also maintains 31 restaurants across the country, most notably in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Miami and soon in Orlando, among other locations. Andrés is most notable for helping introduce tapas to the United States, and many of his restaurants have a Spanish influence or tapas-style menus.
In Las Vegas, Bazaar Meat by José Andrés Las Vegas celebrates all things carnivorous, China Poblano combines the flavors of Mexico and China, while é by José Andrés offers Spanish avant-garde dishes with seating for only nine people.
In Los Angeles, Somni has seating for 10, and offers a tasting counter that blends flavors from LA and Catalonia, while Trés by José Andrés serves comfort food with a twist.
In Washington D.C., America Eats Tavern by José Andrés celebrates iconic Southern American and barbecue dishes; minibar by José Andrés offers two-Michelin-starred avant-garde cooking that combines art and science with seating for six at a time; barmini celebrates classic cocktails and modern creations; China Chilcano explores the culinary diversity of Peru with inspirations from China, Japan, Spain and West Africa; Oyamel showcases Mexico’s rich regional culinary diversity; and Zaytinya DC offers a mezze menu inspired by Turkish, Greek and Lebanese cuisines. Beefsteak, which has locations primarily in DC, brings fresh vegetables center stage with veggie bowls, salads, soups and burgers. You’ll also find thinkfoodlab, a unique private-events-only venue featuring curated menus from Andrés’ restaurants, as well as José Andrés Catering for your most sophisticated private events.
In Miami, Bazaar Mar by José Andrés Miami brings you the bounty of the sea with seasonal emphasis on Miami and the Caribbean, and Hyde Beach offers gourmet Katsuya-inspired cuisine at a high-energy pool-side lounge.
The Bazaar by José Andrés has locations in Beverly Hills and Miami and combines authentic Spanish flavors with cutting edge culinary techniques, while Jaleo has locations in Las Vegas, DC, and soon, Orlando, and crafts traditional Spanish food. The Las Vegas location has an open-fire wood grill for cooking paella, which is one of only three in the world.