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José Andrés

Co-Conspirator & Spiritual Advisor

When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, José did not change the channel, he got on a plane. When he first arrived, the plan was to cook for a few days—but what started as a couple thousand meals per day soon turned into a major relief effort. Mobilized by his non-profit organization, World Central Kitchen, the #ChefsForPuertoRico network of chefs and volunteers served over 3.5 million meals to the people of Puerto Rico following the devastating hurricane.

José is an internationally-recognized culinary innovator, author, educator, television personality, humanitarian, and chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup. A pioneer of Spanish tapas in the United States, he's known for his groundbreaking avant-garde cuisine and award-winning group of 30 restaurants (plus mobile Pepe the food truck!) throughout the United States and in Mexico City and the Bahamas. José is the only chef globally to have both a two-star Michelin restaurant and four Bib Gourmands.

His work has earned numerous of awards and distinctions including Time’s “100 Most Influential People” in both 2012 and 2018, and “Outstanding Chef” and "Humanitarian of the Year" by the James Beard Foundation. In 2017, José earned the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and in 2015 was awarded the National Humanities Medal.