Chef Chat: Jose Andres on Michelin Stars, Trump, and the Future of Food

This may have been José Andrés’s biggest year yet. In October, the Spanish chef and entrepreneur received two Michelin stars for his avant-garde, six-seat dining experience Minibar. He also expanded his culinary empire with five new restaurants, including outposts of his fast-casual vegetable eatery Beefsteak and his seafood-centric gem Bazaar Mar in Miami.

The DC-based James Beard winner also participated in his first-ever U.S. election in the fall. He hit the campaign trail in support of Hillary Clinton and spoke out proudly in favor of immigration reform. Following Donald Trump’s characterization of Mexicans as “rapists” and “thieves,” Andrés made headlines for pulling out of a major restaurant deal with the presidential candidate. Trump launched a $10 million lawsuit for breach of contract against Andrés that is still currently under litigation.

We caught up with Andrés just as his hectic 2016 was coming to a close to get the details behind his Michelin stars, his thoughts on Trump and his plans for 2017. [pagebreak]

The Latin Kitchen: Let’s start by talking about this incredible Michelin honor—you received two stars for your restaurant minibar in October. What does this achievement mean to you on a personal level?

It seems like sometimes life is about instant gratification. We forget that some of the best works are by people who spent hours and days and weeks and months of their lives toward the pursuit of happiness. Minibar is very much that. It’s not only my life, but every person who joined in…It’s the perfect example of a collective effort in more ways than one—even from people who don’t work at minibar but have been a part of it and have done research, traveling and testing.

For me, I dreamed since I was a young kid to one day be part of a Michelin restaurant. As highly criticized as Michelin is sometimes, after more than 100 years, it’s still a lighthouse that many people try to reach. I could tell you that people don’t give a damn about Michelin or any other award—if restaurants are doing well, businesses keep doing well. At the end of the day, there is no better reward than having guests coming back day after day, and that’s a star you can’t get from anyone. But I’ve been dreaming of this my whole life. Even at one point, not too long ago, I said to myself, “I think I’ll never get a Michelin star in my life,” because I’m in cities that don’t have Michelin. When they announced it, my heart was beating so hard, and I very much shed two or three tears. 

TLK: Can you describe where you were when you heard the news, and what your immediate reaction was?

I was in my bed with my wife, and they called me super early. I had heard something through the grapevine, but it’s one thing to hear rumors about it and another to actually get the call from Michelin.

The first calls I made were to my team and to the people who had been super important in the success of minibar. And I called Ferran Adrià, my good friend who I worked for as a teenager. He keeps telling me, “Stop saying that I am your mentor. That was many years ago, man.” And it’s true that I was very young when I was with him. But in life, I think we forget sometimes that we are who we are thanks to the people who helped us before… Calling Ferran was important to say, “You were there when I began, and you were there in the end, and you were very important to me.” [pagebreak]

TLK: You’re someone who constantly keeps busy. Tell us about what 2017 has in store for you—I’ve heard you’re opening more outposts of Beefsteak and foraying into retail by partnering with Tio Gazpacho.  

I create and I like to make things happen, but I need to make sure that I have people who can carry the idea forward, and usually that’s what happens. So, the concepts that you mentioned: Beefsteak, for example, was many things. It was the challenge of whether we could make a concept based on vegetables that’s somehow affordable. We have six locations, and hopefully we’ll open five more this year, so this is going well. I’ve also always wanted to bring gazpacho, the Spanish custom, to the masses, and I’ve been trying for many years—unsuccessfully—through partnerships.

I kept knocking on doors and in the end, I found this perfect cooperation with this young American guy [Austin Allan] who loves Spain, and he created Tio. I partnered with him to try and make gazpacho a new trend in America. I’m always saying that we chefs need to learn how to be involved in feeding bigger quantities of people—that’s the only way we’re going to have a true and meaningful influence in feeding America and the world.

In 2017, it’s a lot of projects I can’t say yet—they’ll be announced soon. I have a book in the works, and we’re going to be working through all of next year looking for a good television opportunity. 

TLK: You’re based in D.C., a city with a food scene that has undergone major evolutions. What are some things you have observed from your 24 years in Washington?

It takes a village to create a good food scene. We can talk about all the young chefs that are, rightfully so, gaining recognition, but we cannot forget the many chefs who have been integral on the scene for many years—Michel Richard, Ann Cashion, so many. We have an amazing group of cocktail makers and bartenders, we have an amazing group of sommeliers, we have an amazing group of farmers between Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania, and we have some of the best farmers’ markets in the country… We have so much to be thankful for in a city with an ethnic population that offers so many different types of restaurants, and it’s been years in the making. All together, we created a food community we should be proud of. [pagebreak]

TLK: What are you looking forward to in D.C.?

Well, with a new administration coming in January, there are people in this election, who are super happy and who are super sad. But in the end, change always brings a lot of energy. Washington is a city that becomes very electrifying—I remember that feeling during the Bush times, during Obama’s terms. In my time here, I’ve seen that the first year is always a lot of change, with lots of new people moving in. Washington is going through this period now, and even though this has been a very unconventional election, hopefully we will put much of the negativity away and concentrate on the things that make all of us Americans and move together toward a better country.

TLK: You’ve seen many presidents come and go—what do you think D.C.’s food scene might look like under Trump’s administration?

There have been some rumors about how he likes his meat well done—I think every human being has the right to eat their meat in whatever way or form they want. I’m more the rare type, but… [laughs]. We see President Trump has been going out to 21 Club, so it seems like he’s going to be supporting the restaurant industry, and I hope we will see him around D.C.’s many restaurants. Any president will always be welcome in my restaurant—I may agree or disagree with a politician’s views, but in the end, a restaurant is a place to see people and make sure they have a good time.

In terms of the first family, I’ve met Ivanka and Donald Trump, Jr., and I found them to be good, hard-working young people. We hope to see them around D.C., and that they keep pushing the city forward. It’s not only about Washington—having any of our political officials at restaurants sends a very good message about the vitality of cities in America. [pagebreak]

TLK: You have spoken about Trump positively, despite your legal disputes.

We have to separate things out. We have some things that our lawyers are dealing with—business is business. I’ve never been involved in a lawsuit in my entire life, but I’m someone who tries to go through life understanding and making the best of things.

This was my first election, and I was very involved, especially in immigration reform. For me, this is a super important issue—I’m an immigrant and a new American, and my role is not only to defend the rights of the undocumented, but to defend the future of America. I believe the future of America will be better if we allow those 11 million undocumented people into the system in a real way. They are already part of the system—I’m trying to be pragmatic and I’m not trying to lie to myself. We didn’t pass immigration reform under a Democratic administration, but I dream we can pass it under a Republican administration. The best I can do is keep working, respecting others and doing my little part.

TLK: What message do you have for Latina chefs who see your Michelin stars as an inspiration?

We all have responsibilities and we can’t relinquish those—we need to take them seriously and contribute to keep moving the prosperity of this country forward. You do it by showing up, doing your best and lifting up the people around you. We should always be on the look out for those who need a push.