Jose Andres: Feeder of the World

When Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria on September 20th, damages reaching into the high billions, suicides coming in droves as people felt that was the best way out, electricity in some places STILL out, chef José Andrés rose up like the Patron Saint of Food.

Instead of sitting safely within the confines of one of his restaurants and sending money over to the cause, José Andrés decided to make a real difference in the lives of real people. He went out into the dark abyss where others would and worked on the front lines, feeding people by the thousands.

The number eventually reached over 1,000,000.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF1U9N4B3G8

José Andrés saved lives, likely a lot of them, and he did so by giving his time, money, effort, sweat, and the entirety of him.

To be Frank, José Andrés is a complete and utter bad ass in every single way, including standing up to the President of the United States of America over his beliefs in a feud that ended up in a lawsuit.

On Wednesday, his work was rewarded in the form of the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the James Beard Foundation.

In a statement, Michell Davis, executive vice president of the James Beard Foundation, applauded the efforts of José Andrés:

José’s work in Puerto Rico and Haiti shows how chefs can use their expertise and unique skills to enact profound change on a global scale. He has demonstrated how, at the most difficult times, hot-cooked meals provide more than nutrition, they provide dignity. And we couldn’t imagine a more fitting honoree this year as we celebrate how chefs and our industry Rise.

José Andrés is no slouch in the kitchen, either.

After working as an apprentice at the best restaurant in the world at the time, elBulli, José Andrés made the journey to the United States in hopes of one day opening his own restaurant.

In an interview with First We Feast, his passion was displayed when he referenced how inspired he was by a lonely hot dog-cart:

I arrived in New York City in 1991 with little more than $50 and a set of cooking knives to my name. I remember being on Fifth Avenue in New York City, watching this guy sell hot dogs from his dirty, smelly cart and thinking to myself, ‘If this guy can stand here, with his own business and be in his own kingdom, I belong here.’

From that point, José Andrés worked through the ranks to become one of the pre-eminent chefs in the country.

His goal has been to bring the tastes and flavors of Spain to America, and now, his name is synonymous with paella and tapas all across the country.

But as good of a chef as he is, his demeanor and heart separate him from the rest.

He’s a loud, excitable, friendly man who puts off more of an aura of a wild uncle than one of the world’s great chefs.

From all accounts, he’s a real sweetheart of a man, and time and time again, he’s shown that he will stand up for the causes of the many.

As incredible as he has been throughout the Puerto Rico disaster, it has become sort of his forte, which is why he was listed in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2012.

Here’s what Anthony Bourdain said about his work in Haiti in the piece:

I was holed up in my room in a nearly empty hotel in Haiti, waiting for the hurricane said to be headed our way. It was a bad time even for that earthquake-afflicted country: cholera had broken out and was expected to spread. Suddenly I heard a familiar laugh, headed down to the bar and found José Andrés holding court with journalists on behalf of a solar-powered cookstove that cheaply boils water for people with little or no access to fuel. Encountering José in a crumbling hotel in Haiti was entirely to be expected.

The man is capable of anything. After leaving Haiti, José, 42, would no doubt be lecturing at Harvard’s Science and Cooking course. Or working with the National Archives as a member of its board. Or raising money for D.C. Central Kitchen and its job training for the homeless. That this gift of Spain to the U.S. is best known as a great chef with a portfolio of extraordinary restaurants in Washington, Los Angeles and Las Vegas is almost beside the point. He’s bigger and more important than that. No one kitchen — or 10 — can contain him. He is advocate, promoter, entrepreneur, philanthropist, artist. Keep up with him at your peril.

He has given far more of himself to people in need that would ever be expected of him, or anyone, really.

The culinary world has known about José Andrés for decades now, but it is time for him to recognized in all sectors of the world.