Chef José Andrés may be known as the tapas king of Washington, but this week he’s acting in an official capacity as the US Culinary Ambassador, joining President Obama and his delegation in Cuba. The ebullient restaurateur was appointed to the position through the Sate Department in 2011 as part of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, which promotes safe and energy-efficient household cooking.
While in Cuba, Andrés will be one of the speakers on a panel,”Business Opportunities between the U.S. and Cuba,” and will also lead a roundtable discussion of entrepreneurship in the restaurant, food, and beverage industry. He’ll also attend a baseball game with President Obama on Tuesday between the Tampa Rays and a local Cuban team (Andrés’s food truck, Pepe, stops outside Nationals Park during the season).
Anyone interested in following Andrés’s trip can follow the chef on Twitter, where he’s posting updates and videos via Periscope.
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.
