THE PLATES HE SPINS
José Andrés offers ongoing creative direction at the 29 eateries in his 12-year-old Thinkfoodgroup (including a food truck named Pepe). Somehow, he also just wrote a memoir.
Restaurants
HIGH-END
Minibar, Andrés’s 12-seat molecular gastronomy mecca in Washington,
D.C., earned two Michelin stars in 2016. This multicourse experience starts at around $275 per person. Las Vegas–based é by José Andrés offers upscale Spanish cuisine.
MID-PRICED
Jaleo, which launched in 1993—and introduced Americans to small-plate dining—now has outposts in D.C.; Bethesda, Maryland; and Mexico City. Andrés’s mezze-focused Zaytinya offers a Mediterranean menu at its two locations, in D.C. and Frisco, Texas. SLS Hotels in Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, and Miami feature Thinkfoodgroup’s Bazaar restaurants. FAST-CASUAL
Beefsteak is Andrés’s three-year-old vegetablefocused chain that will expand this year to Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic. Pepe,a food truck, roams the metropolitan D.C. area, serving up flautas (Spanish sandwiches), gazpacho, and nonalcoholic sangria. The Thinkfoodlab is a test kitchen that sometimes doubles as a pop-up restaurant. In late 2018, Andrés will open an expansive Spanish food hall in New York City’s Hudson Yards.
Books
Andrés has published multiple cookbooks, including Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America and Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen. A book about his disasterrelief efforts in Puerto Rico, called We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time, is due in September (through Anthony Bourdain’s imprint at Harpercollins). Some proceeds will go to Andrés’s nonprofit, World Central Kitchen.
Products
Through a site called La Tienda, Andrés sells his own brand of Spanish staples such as sherry vinegar, roasted piquillo peppers, and olive oil.
TV
Two series have featured Andrés seeking out culinary wonders: PBS’S Made in Spain, a 26-part food-andtravel series, and Natgeo’s Undiscovered Haiti, a onehour travel special.
—Cory Fernandez