José Andrés

Twice named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” and awarded “Outstanding Chef” and “Humanitarian of the Year” by the James Beard Foundation, Chef José Andrés is an internationally recognized culinary innovator, New York Times bestselling author, humanitarian, educator, and Emmy® winning television personality.

Born in Asturias and raised in Barcelona, José is credited with popularizing the tapas concept in America with his first restaurant, Jaleo, and is the Founder and Executive Chairman of José Andrés Group, which currently operates nearly 40 restaurants. He has popularized Spanish culture and gastronomy on the airwaves with multiple hit TV programs, and formed José Andrés Media in 2021 to produce television series, books, podcasts, and digital content with a focus on food and culture-related storytelling.

In 2010, Andrés formed World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that is first to the front lines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. His team served over 3.6 million meals to the people of Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. In response to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, World Central Kitchen partnered with hundreds of restaurants and thousands of Ukrainians to prepare and serve hundreds of millions of meals to families across the country.

In 2023, Andrés founded the Global Food Institute at George Washington University in Washington DC, with the intent of enabling and producing cutting-edge research to create and improve domestic and global food policies, incubate and engineer innovative new technologies and entrepreneurial spirit, and lead critical conversations about the impact of food on the human race.

Andrés’ work has earned awards and distinctions, including the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the 2015 National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama. Andrés was also named Washington Business Journal’s CEO of the Year in 2020 for his leadership and impact on the global business community and was awarded the Princesa de Asturias Foundation’s 2021 Concordia Prize for his humanitarian work.

José currently serves as the co-chair of President Biden’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition and as a naturalized citizen originally from Spain, Andrés has also been a tireless advocate for immigration reform.