5 Questions with José Andrés
We talk Ukraine, Zelensky, and the place to eat Maryland crabs.
Not only is José Andrés one of the world’s most talented chefs, he is a visionary and a humanitarian.
He established 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. In the last six months alone, he’s provided over 150 million meals to the people of Ukraine. And in case you’re wondering, he’s also whip smart, a lot of fun, and a dear friend of mine.
I joined him on Zoom over the weekend to talk about World Central Kitchen, feeding the people of Ukraine, Putin, plus his favorite place to eat when he’s home in Bethesda, Maryland. Watch the video for the full interview, or read an excerpt below.
PS José is now on Substack. Subscribe to Longer Tables here.
Andrew Zimmern: José Andrés, welcome to Spilled Milk. We are thrilled to have you. Where are you right now, my friend?
José Andrés: I am in Spain. Espana, in the south, in a city called Marbella. Very beautiful place in Spain.
AZ: I know the answer to this, but you try to spend time during the summer with your family over there pretty much on the regular all the time, right?
JA: Since I was born, probably. My wife always makes sure we come, and we try to take all the family on as long of a vacation as we can allow. I may have to go back and forth or some trips, but all the family gathers here in the south of Spain, not in Marbella where I am right now, but in the Province of Cadi, which is the southernmost province in the peninsula.
AZ: I know everyone wants to know most of the last six and a half, seven months or so, if my math is correct, you've been spending time in Ukraine. If you could just tell people for a couple minutes how things are going over there from a World Central Kitchen view. Everybody's aware of what World Central Kitchen does, and is doing, over there for so many people. But everyone will kill me if they don't hear from you what's going on there as of now. I know you were just there.
Learn about & donate to World Central Kitchen here.
JA: Oh, I was there. I just came back few days ago from today's conversation. I spent there almost another two weeks. I've been more than probably, I don't know, 60, 70-something days. Mainly at the very beginning, World Central Kitchen was able to activate on the first day, as many people know. We began in Poland. We began feeding the refugees, which means Ukrainians living in Ukraine.
Very quickly, we realized that the need was everywhere. So, we began feeding in every entry into Poland, every border point… We began feeding the refugee welcoming centers, but very quickly we began moving in. We began, let's say, not being afraid when so many millions were living in Ukraine. Ukraine has food.
People are going to say, "But José, why World Central Kitchen has to feed them if Ukraine has so much food, if Ukraine exports food more than many other countries around the world?"
Well, it scales. It's an emergency. You add more than 14, 15 million Ukrainians that they were displaced inside Ukraine… and another seven million that became refugees in welcoming countries. So, this is a huge number of people that moved very quickly in a matter of weeks. What we did was, in a moment that the entire social system was kind of breaking because a war, we began covering like a bridge, the short term needs of villages and individuals that were moving into a house shelter.
We began bringing hot meals there. We began bringing bags of food to the people that didn't have any supermarket nearby, or any banks, or any salary, or any money. So you see, that's what we do… As we are speaking today, we've been doing over a 1.2 million meals in the form of bags so people cook at home, one bag per week for a family of four. Then the hot meals in the places we believe that need our help now because it's a war, but it's been going on for six months.
Almost already we are past 150 million meals, more than 5,000, 6,000 Ukrainians helping us feed Ukrainians. At the end, big problems have very simple solutions.
We are past 150 million meals, more than… 6,000 Ukrainians helping us feed Ukrainians. At the end, big problems have very simple solutions.
- José Andrés
AZ: I think it almost broke the internet in my world… was an incredible picture of you with President Zelensky… Can you tell us in the shorthand what he's like as a human being?
JA: President Zelensky is a person that is very kind. It's very funny, because sometimes when we talk about politics, I realize that I don't know if he's Right or Left Wing. I don't know if he would be a Republican or a Democrat. I actually don't know. It's like World Central Kitchen, when we go, we don't know who are we feeding. We don't think [about politics], we activate everywhere, California, California, Kentucky, Kentucky, Texas, Texas. That's how we do it. People are people.
We don't know who are we feeding… We activate everywhere, California, California, Kentucky, Kentucky, Texas, Texas. That's how we do it. People are people.
- José Andrés
AZ: What's your favorite food city? And why?
JA: Well, listen, my favorite food city, obviously in more ways than one, for me has to be Washington [D.C.]. I don't want to be biased because I've been there 30 years, and I have restaurants, and I'm going to benefit from people coming. Obviously, we are who we are thanks to the place we live. Probably you're going to say, "Yeah, José, but that doesn't mean your favorite cities and all that," but Washington is a city I got to know. When I say Washington, it is not just the city, but the entire ecosystem.
AZ: Do you still do you call Washington home nowadays?
JA: Washington is home. It is Bethesda, deep in Maryland.
AZ: Is there a favorite restaurant that you like to go to when you come home that isn't in your own kitchen?
JA: Yeah, it's a place near my house. It's called Bethesda Crabs. Usually you'll never see me there in summer when everybody thinks. You'll see me in early spring or in late September, October. When autumn comes, the reason is, this is when the best crabs happen by far. There're no goods in summer. I'm sorry. It is not. It's not the moment.
Maryland crabs, quite frankly, are unbelievable when these arise. In September, they are full. They are amazing. They are really, really amazing. Then it's a very normal crab shack…It's perfect when you open them up and inside everything is shiny. That's a good crab. When you open a crab and nothing is shiny, the crab is way overcooked. It's no crab, it's crap. I don't like crabs that are crap.
AZ: What's the one thing, it could be food, it could be something you drink, that you are always worried about running low on? What do you always make sure you have enough of at home?
JA: Eggs.
AZ: I knew it.
Not sure "rapid fire" can be used in this Q&A session! The man can talk! LOL I have always admired him and the compassion he has for those in need. Totally awesome human.
Fabulous interview.!! In culinary school, the class was assigned to choose an industry icon and write an essay about that person... I chose José Andrés... He is the pinnacle of what a Humanitarian is... He's humbly humble, and makes miracles more than possible, he makes them doable.!!! VIVA José.!!!