What is José Andrés's Net Worth?
José Andrés is a Spanish celebrity chef who has a net worth of $50 million. José Andrés gained his most widespread recognition in 2010 for founding the not-for-profit organization World Central Kitchen, which provides meals to people in the wake of natural disasters. For his work with the organization, he was given a National Humanities Medal by the US government in 2015. Meanwhile, as a restaurateur, Andrés owns restaurants in such cities as Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Washington, DC.
Early Life
José Andrés was born as José Ramón Andrés Puerta on July 13, 1969 in Mieres, Asturias, Spain. When he was six, he moved with his family to Catalonia. There, in Barcelona, he enrolled in culinary school at the age of 15. When he was required to serve in the Spanish military at age 18, Andrés did so as a cook for an admiral. He subsequently met chef Ferran Adrià, for whom he worked at the restaurant El Bulli from 1988 to 1990.
Career Beginnings in America
After being fired from El Bulli in late 1990, Andrés decided to come to the United States. He arrived in New York City with a mere $50 and landed a job cooking at an outpost of the Spanish restaurant Eldorado Petit. In 1993, Andrés was hired to lead the kitchen at the new Washington, DC tapas restaurant Jaleo. He went on to help the restaurant owners open other restaurants over the years, including Oyamel and Café Atlantico. At the latter establishment, Andrés began his "minibar" concept, which involves the serving of his most creative small plates.
Rise to Fame
Thanks to the success of his restaurants in the US, Andrés became increasingly well-known in the country. He leveraged his newfound celebrity to launch his own cooking show, "Vamos a Cocinar," in 2005. The same year, he published his first book, "Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America." In 2006, Andrés teamed up with Robert Wilder to establish ThinkFoodGroup; the pair subsequently opened restaurants in Los Angeles, Miami, Las Vegas, and Puerto Rico. Andrés went on to appear on a few television programs, including "Iron Chef America," "Made in Spain," and "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations."
World Central Kitchen
In 2010, Andrés founded the not-for-profit organization World Central Kitchen in response to the recent Haiti earthquake. The organization works by providing meals to people in the wake of natural disasters, and by collaborating with local chefs to solve hunger crises. Since being founded, WCK has provided meals in such countries as Ukraine, Cambodia, Zambia, Uganda, Peru, Nicaragua, Cuba, and the United States. In the wake of Hurricane Maria in 2017, Andrés and the organization emerged as leaders in disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico. He and World Central Kitchen later became the subjects of the 2022 documentary film "We Feed People," directed by Ron Howard.
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Teaching
Since 2010, Andrés has taught some gastronomy-related courses at various educational institutions. He began by teaching a culinary physics course alongside chef Ferran Adrià at Harvard University. In 2012, Andrés and food writer Colman Andrews created a curriculum on Spanish cuisine for the International Culinary Center in New York City. Andrés has also taught at George Washington University.
Honors and Accolades
Andrés has received a surfeit of honors and accolades for both his cooking and his philanthropy. He achieved his first major prize, the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef of the Mid-Atlantic Region title, in 2003. The following year, he was named Chef of the Year by Bon Appetit magazine. Andrés earned another Chef of the Year title, this time by GQ magazine, in 2009. The year after that, he won the Vilcek Prize in Culinary Arts, and after that was named Outstanding Chef by the James Beard Foundation.
For his work with World Central Kitchen, Andrés received the National Humanities Medal from the US government in 2015. Three years later, he was named James Beard Humanitarian of the Year. Andrés's other laurels have included the Julia Child Award and the Princess of Asturias Award. He has also been bestowed with several honorary degrees, including from George Washington University, Tufts University, Harvard University, and Georgetown University.
Personal Life
With his wife Patricia Fernández de la Cruz, whom he met while living in Washington, DC, Andrés has three daughters. The family resides in Bethesda, Maryland. Since late 2013, Andrés has been a naturalized citizen of the United States.
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