There are several notable Washingtonians on Time magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World–Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton–but there’s only one known for both activism and salt-air margaritas: chef-in-chief José Andrés. The restaurateur and Made in Spain star landed alongside groundbreaking Danish chef René Redzepi of Noma, but Anthony Bourdain, who penned Andrés’s tribute, focuses on the Spanish chef’s role as a public advocate, citing work with the National Archives and DC Central Kitchen:
“That this gift of Spain to the U.S. is best known as a great chef with a portfolio of extraordinary restaurants in Washington, Los Angeles and Las Vegas is almost beside the point. He’s bigger and more important than that. No one kitchen–or 10–can contain him. He is advocate, promoter, entrepreneur, philanthropist, artist.”
Read more here.
It’s certainly been a big year for the toque in DC, what with the Jaleo redesign, launch of the Pepe food truck, and, most recently, a collaboration with the National Gallery of Art, where he’ll design a Catalan menu for the Garden Café starting May 4. So grab a gin and tonic–Andrés’s favorite drink, which shows up in six varieties at Jaleo DC–and give a much-deserved toast to the chef.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
