Chef Jose Andres of ThinkFoodGroup (TFG) - Biography
José Ramón Andrés Puerta (born 13 July 1969), known as José Andrés, is a Spanish chef often credited for bringing the small plates dining concept to America. He owns restaurants in Washington DC, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, South Beach and Dorado.
Biography :
José Andrés was born in Mieres, Spain. He is married and has three daughters. Early in his career, he trained under Ferran Adrià at the restaurant El Bulli. Beginning in the fall of 2010, Andrés taught a culinary physics course at Harvard University with Ferran Adrià. In May 2012, Andrés was named dean of Spanish Studies at The International Culinary Center, where he and Colman Andrews developed a curriculum in traditional and modern Spanish cuisine, which debuted in February 2013. On 29 October 2012, he announced he was heading back to the classroom, and would teach his first course on how food shapes civilization at George Washington University next year.
Restaurants :
Along with partner Rob Wilder, Andrés owns several restaurants:
minibar by José Andrés – Washington, DC – several chefs serve a prix fixe menu of about 25 small courses to six diners at a time.
barmini by José Andrés – Washington, DC – experimental cocktail bar adjacent to minibar.
America Eats – Washington, DC – traditional American dishes in conjunction with the Foundation for the National Archives.
Jaleo – Washington, DC; Bethesda, Maryland; Arlington, Virginia; Las Vegas – traditional Spanish tapas. Jaleo is named after a painting by John Singer Sargent.
Zaytinya – Washington, DC – serves mezze, small plates of food from the Mediterranean regions of Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon. Zaytinya means "olive oil" in Turkish.
Oyamel – Washington, DC – serves a variety of small plates and antojitos.
é by José Andrés – Las Vegas – similar to minibar.
The Bazaar - Beverly Hills, California and Miami Beach, Florida – a combination of traditional Spanish tapas and foods inspired by molecular gastronomy.
China Poblano – Las Vegas - Chinese and Mexican dishes.
Mi Casa – Dorado, Puerto Rico – Spanish and traditional Puerto Rican cuisine.
Awards :
Best Chef of the Mid-Atlantic Region (James Beard Foundation, 2003)
Chef of the Year (Bon Appetit, 2004)
35 Under 35 Tastemakers member (Food & Wine, 2004)
Top 100 list (Saveur, 2004)[citation needed]
Silver Spoon Award (Food Arts magazine, 2005)
Chef of the Year (Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, 2006)
Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America (2007)
A-List Chef, first Bravo A-List Awards (Bravo Network, 2008)[citation needed]
Orden de las Artes y las Letras de España – Order of Arts and Letters (Cabinet of Spain, 2010)
Outstanding Chef (James Beard Foundation, 2011)
One of the world's 100 most influential people (Time Magazine, 2012)
TV :
Vamos a cocinar, a food program on Televisión Española – producer and host (2005 - 2007)[citation needed]
Iron Chef America – defeated Bobby Flay (2007)
Made in Spain, a 26-part series for public television (2008)
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Washington, DC episode (2008)
Top Chef judge (2010)
The Taste – guest judge and mentor (2013)
Hannibal – cuisine consultant (2013)
Books :
Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America – a cookbook on tapas and Spanish cuisine. Coauthored by Richard Wolffe
Vamos A Cocinar: Las Mejores Recetas del Programma de Tve – a book based on his Spanish cooking show Vamos a cocinar.
Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen. – companion book to Andrés' public television series
References :
McLaughlin, Katy (2009-Dec-10). "Restaurant of the Future?". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
"José Andrés". SBE. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
Black, Jane (24 March 2010). "Foam 101? Chefs Andrés, Adrià will teach at Harvard.". Washington Post.
Forbes, Paula (2 May 2012). "José Andrés Now the Dean of Spanish Studies at ICC.". Eater.com.
"Chef Jose Andres to Teach Class on Power of Fo". The New York Times. 20 October 2012.
"China Poblano - About José Andrés". Retrieved April 19, 2013.
"ThinkFooodGroup - Restaurants". Retrieved April 20, 2013.
"Minibar Restaurant Website". Retrieved 22 October 2012.
"Restaurant and Chef Awards". James Beard Foundation. Retrieved 2013-06-09.
"Chef of the Year Bon Appetit 2004". Retrieved 2013-06-09.
"Food and Wine 2004 Tastemaker Awards". Retrieved 2013-06-09.
"José Andrés". December 2005. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
"2006 Rammy Winners". Retrieved 2013-06-10.
"Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America". James Beard Foundation. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
"Spain to honor DC’s celebrity chef Jose Andres". Retrieved April 20, 2013.
"Jose Andres wins James Beard award". Retrieved April 20, 2013.
"Jose Andres - 2012 TIME 100: The Most Influential People in the World". Retrieved April 20, 2013.
"Dish: Jose vs. Flay". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2007. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
Made in Spain
Rob Wilder discusses the minibar's future: Washington City Paper
"Top Chef Season 7 - Episode 8: Foreign Affairs". 2010. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
Maura Judkis (13 March 2013). "Jose Andres appeared on ABC's 'The Taste'". The Washington Post.
Alan Sepinwall (19 June 2013). "'Hannibal' producer Bryan Fuller on cannibal cuisine, renewal and more". HitFix.
Andrés, José (2005). Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America. Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1400053599.
Andrés, José (2007). Vamos A Cocinar: Las Mejores Recetas del Programma de Tve. Spain: Editorial Planeta. ISBN 978-8408070368.
Andrés, José (2008). Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen. Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0307382634.
Hailed as the “boy wonder of culinary Washington” by The New York Times and considered Spain’s unofficial culinary ambassador, José Andrés is known for bringing both traditional and avant garde Spanish cuisine to America. Born in Mieres, Spain, in 1969, Andrés began cooking at an early age helping his mother bake by the time he was eight; creating complex dishes like paella by the age of 12, and by 16 excelling at the renowned culinary academy, La Escola de Restauració i Hostalatge de Barcelona. While attending culinary school, Andrés acquired practical experience by apprenticing at restaurant el Bulli under chef and mentor Ferran Adrià.
Andrés left his native land for New York City to prove his mettle in 1990. A few years later, he moved to Washington, DC to become chef and partner at Jaleo, a job that would turn into a career partnership and bring many more restaurants under the umbrella of ThinkFoodGroup. Café Atlantico and a second Jaleo soon followed; Zaytinya, a Mediterranean restaurant featuring mezzes, and the six-seat minibar (located in Café Atlantico), featuring an ever-changing menu of 33 high-concept alta cocina dishes, opened in the early 00s. A Mexican small-dish restaurant, called Oyamel, was next.
In 2008, Andrés and TFG (ThinkFoodGroup) along with partners at SBE Hotel Group and designer Philippe Starck opened the first SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, launching a new luxury hotel brand. The signature restaurant, The Bazaar by José Andrés, received LA’s only four-star review from the Los Angeles Times.
Since moving to Washington, DC a decade ago, Andrés has earned numerous honors. Andrés was nominated in both 2008 and 2009 for The James Beard Outstanding Chef Award, and in 2003, he was named The James Beard “Best Chef of the Mid-Atlantic Region.” Additionally, he serves as contributing editor of Food Arts magazine, a member of the StarChefs.com Advisory Board, and is the chairman of the board of DC Central Kitchen, a non-profit organization that feeds the homeless and trains people for careers in the food service. In 2001, the organization recognized Andrés as the “Chef/ Partner of Distinction,” as part of a program that honors outstanding “Partnership in Job Training.”
Every summer Andrés travels to Spain to visit family and to work in his mentor’s restaurant, el Bulli, for several weeks. When not in a kitchen or hosting his PBS series “Made in Spain,” the chef is making appearances or traveling.
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