Food for thought.

Jose Andres was born to cook. "As far back as I can remember, I have been fascinated by food and cooking. When I was little, my parents both cooked ... and I was fascinated. I could not wait to cook myself." It was serendipitous that a chef so passionate about food was born in a region celebrated for its gastronomic riches. "I was born in a small town in northern Spain called Mieres, in the region of Asturias. Asturias is part of what they call the "Green Spain": very green, very mountainous with a rugged coast, a place with great cheeses and great seafood. Apples grow very well there, something we cook with a lot, and they make a wonderful cider too. When I was very young, my parents moved us to Barcelona, where I grew up. I still go back to Asturias and Barcelona a lot. Most of my food memories are from these places, and these places are a big part of who I am. My aunt making fabada. The wonderful things for sale at La Boqueria market. The great seafood like percebes and centollo found at little places in Asturias. The grand, elegant restaurants of Barcelona, like Reno or EI Dorado Petit."

Surrounded as he was by the bounty of his homeland, Andre's could not wait to become a chef. "When I was fifteen, everyone was kind of at the point where you have to decide what you want to be to decide the rest of your schooling. My father asked me what my plans were and I told him I wanted to cook. So he took me to a new school (Escola de Restauracio I Hostalatge de Barcelona) that had opened in Barcelona a few years earlier. The age for admission was 18, but my father is very persuasive. He took me in to meet the head of the school, and by the time we left, he had gotten me a spot."

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Andres has been fortunate to have many mentors throughout his career. "I have been very lucky and have had many people influence me. At different points of my life maybe you feel a little bit lost, but for me there has always been someone to help me find the way--or maybe I worked with someone who gave me good advice. Everyone can be an influence on you. I think everyone has something to share, some knowledge. If you take the time to listen, you might be astonished at what you learn. Maybe all you learn is what not to do. That is knowledge, too."

One mentor that is most inspiring to Andres is one of the world's most celebrated chefs, who Andres met during his culinary school internship at el Bulli. "For me, Ferran (Adria) is my friend, my teacher and a major influence. People think he's this weird guy cooking crazy things in a small town in Spain, but the truth is, his philosophy about cooking is actually very simple. I think that is the secret. Ferran recognizes the very simple truth: The only thing that matters when it comes to food is whether it is good. Humble or grand, innovative or ultra-traditional, it is either good or bad. Forget about the rest. Ferran is also very methodical. He is about organizing, creating a system, almost scientific, taking notes, testing theories, recording the results. It is not just about what to do. You need to ask 'why?' You need to ask 'why not?' Why do we do what we do? Why don't we do other things? Ferran really looks at product. His team does a study of it. What is it? Where does it come from? What is the season? Look at tradition to get an idea, and then ask how can use this product. Can I boil it, fry it, toast it, freeze it, bake it? Tradition is a starting point, a context--but not a cage."

In 1990 Andres moved to the United States, where he first worked for the Barcelona-inspired restaurant, EI Dorade Petit, for two-and-a-half years. He then assumed the role of partner and chef at the Washington, D.C.-based Jaleo, a tapas restaurant widely credited with introducing America to Spanish avant-garde cooking. Andres then assumed the role of executive chef at the D.C.-based Cafe Atlantico, while maintaining his position at Jaleo. Over the course of the next fifteen years, Andres adopted the recurring role of chef and partner at various restaurants throughout Washington, D.C., eventually forming the organization THINKfoodGROUP to manage his many ventures. "THINKfoodGROUP is the company that oversees everything we do. That means the restaurants Jaleo, Zaytinya, Oyamel, Cafe Atlantico and Minibar by Jose Andres all fall under THINKfoodGROUP. It is where we put together books and television projects. It is where we put together SLS, the hotel project with SBE and Phillippe Starck. It is the place for research and development of new ideas, new concepts. The name says that we are a group of people who care passionately about food, hospitality. We work collectively, collaboratively. We are open. We share."

One of Andres' new projects is collaboration with Phillippe Starck and the SBE Entertainment Group. "We are building a new brand together. It is called SLS Hotels. We are working with Phillippe and SBE Entertainment Group. The first hotel opens in Beverly Hills in November of 2008. The idea is to redefine a luxury hotel. More young and modern than elegant and traditional. We are doing all the food and beverage. The idea is very much a part of the whole thing rather than something that comes after. We have many surprises waiting in a space we call the Bazaar by Jose Andres."

In 2003 Andres' many accomplishments were recognized by the James Beard Foundation when he won the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic Region. "When I won, it was like saying that I was accepted by America. Really accepted. To have those people say, 'Hey this Spanish guy is not a bad cook.' It was validation. It means that you like me. I am this guy from Spain, and it was not necessarily my plan to stay in America, but you know life sometimes makes those decisions for you. So for me to be recognized for my work was an amazing feeling."

Andres is wary of defining his style. "That is difficult. I am always nervous about labels. I think sometimes it keeps people from really looking at something. Makes them lazy. They think 'Aha! This thing is X. I know what X is. So I don't need to look for myself because I know what it is since it is X.' People need to use their own eyes. People do it with many things, not just food. I am just me. I am no one else. You can say, 'Oh he is a Spanish guy, is an "EI Bulli" guy, he is a tapas guy, oh that Jose likes to play with food, he is creative, he is traditional.' This is maybe all true, but when I cook, I really cook to please myself and no one else. Don't misunderstand me. I love when people love what I do, when my work makes them happy. And there is the reality of business: If people like it, they buy. But I do this for me. That is the only way."

The chef finds inspiration in nearly everything that he experiences in life. "Inspiration can be found everywhere. You just need to be open. The process of creation requires it. It can be an ingredient. Something I find in the supermarket down the street or the Vietnamese supermarkets or at the farmers' market on Sunday. Or maybe a purveyor sends me a sample. Sometimes it is a person I work with who opens my eyes to something new or some new way of looking at something. Perhaps it comes when I am flipping through a great cookbook from the past: Denola or Escoffier or Vatel or Rombauer. Or maybe I am reading a novel set in some exotic place and I get an idea. Novels are great for this. Look at Proust. Food evokes memory. Isn't it like that for all of us? You make a soup like your grandmother used to and you think back. Food can carry you places."

In his nearly two-decade-long career, Andres has seen many changes in the restaurant industry. "The focus is more on the chef, not on an owner or restaurateur. Used to be no one knew the name of the chef and we were hidden in the kitchen. Today the chef is central: He is the face of the restaurant. This means the chef has more freedom to do what he wants. The chef is part of the business. The chef has more of a leadership role across the business, not just the kitchen. Chefs have more say in design, front of the house, money, and etcetera. Chefs are more professional and more respected as a result. It used to be that many people who were in the kitchen were there because there was little else for them. Things are different today. Cooking is now a respected profession, there is more focus on schooling, on being professional. This can only be a good thing."

Culinary trends that frustrate Andres do not necessarily have to do with what is on the plate, but more to do with its size. "To me it is crazy, the portion size at many restaurants. You sit down and they give you a surfboard, not a plate. I think we need to shift the thinking to quality over quantity. This is hard because for much of the public, bigger is better. You ask them what they like and they say, 'Oh, they give you so much food.' If it is bad or of poor quality, what is that? We need to make them see that is no bargain. I think we as an industry need to be thinking about the impact we have on health. We set trends, whether it is ingredients or recipes or portion sizes. I truly believe it is possible to eat well while eating right. I mean, to overload plates when we are experiencing an epidemic of diabetes and obesity is crazy. And at the same time we need to recognize there are people going hungry in this country. Why are we putting so much on our plates when there are people who have nothing? I am glad to see people thinking about things like this, as well as looking at farmers as their neighbors and buying local. I think that is important, too."

Busy as he is, Andres still finds time to make plans for his future. "I want to keep doing what I am doing. And moving forward. I want to expand Minibar. I want to open a very high-end Spanish restaurant in America. I think that is still lacking. Maybe one day I will have a restaurant on a boat so I can circle the globe. I can go to all the great coastal cities of the world. One week in Copenhagen, the next I go to San Sebastian, after that maybe I set sail for Naples or Cape Town or Seattle or Bombay. I would open for business for a few weeks, ... or as long as I want."

His advice for young chefs coming up in the industry: "Cook. The best way to learn is by doing. Be open. Everyone has something to teach you if you pay attention. Sometimes they are teaching what not to be or do. Pay attention. Never do the job halfway. Always do your best. Learn to work with people, to work as part of a team, to communicate, and to delegate. A restaurant kitchen requires many people working together in order to be successful. You simply cannot work alone. Learn to play well with others." If Andres success is any indication, the chef, writer, television personality and businessman has clearly followed his own advice.

Jose Andres,

Partner/Executive Chef at

Jaleo; Cafe Atlantico; Oyamel;

Zaytinya; and Minibar

by Jose Andres, Washington, D.C.