Celebrity chef among the '100 Most Influential People in the World': José Andrés
Two Michelin-starred chefs on the cover of Time magazine. It has 30 restaurants in the USA. The project to feed the people of the cities that experienced disaster, which he started in 2010, won the sympathy of the world and the hearts of the people.
Those who are keen on gastronomy may have heard of José Andrés. The 53-year-old celebrity chef, who went to the USA from Spain at the age of 23, was named among the "100 Most Influential People in the World" by Time Magazine in 2012 and 2018.
The restaurant Zaytinya, opened by the Michelin-starred chef in Washington in 2002, is still the meeting point of politicians and bureaucrats. Former presidents Clinton and Obama are among its regulars.
José Ramón Andrés Puerta (born 13 July 1969) is a Spanish chef, and founder of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a non-profit devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters.
Another branch of 'Zaytinya', which was put in reference to the Turkish word 'olive oil', opened at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in the NoMad district of New York. There are also two olive trees inside the restaurant.
José Andrés has more than 20 restaurants in different locations including Las Vegas, Miami, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Zaytinya's menu is very familiar to Turks: Imam fainted, hummus, tzatziki, pita with pastrami, Adana kebab, Hünkar Begendi...
The menu of the restaurant consists of Turkish, Greek and Lebanese dishes. The chef's bedside book on Turkish dishes is a 19th century cookbook.
World Central Kithchen (WCK), a non-governmental organization founded by José Andrés in 2010, intervenes in every major disaster in the world to provide food to those in need. Wherever there is a problem, from the flooding in Pakistan to the war in Ukraine, from the explosion in Beirut in 2020 to the devastating hurricane in the US State of Florida right now, WCK goes to the region to feed people. From time to time with tents they set up, and sometimes in cooperation with local restaurants, they strive to provide people with the most basic need of food.
Our chef tells the 12-year adventure of World Central Kithchen in the documentary 'We Feed People' broadcast on Disney Plus.
The Oscar-winning director of the documentary, Ron Howard, is a famous name who has made films such as "Mind Games", "The Da Vinci Code", "Angels and Demons". Documentaries in which the director told the story of the Beatles and Pavarotti were also highly appreciated.
In 'We Feed People', the team's efforts to reach food for hundreds of thousands of people during the war in Ukraine, and the organization's work for the organization for those staying on the cruise ship Diamond Princess, which was quarantined in Japan in the first days of the pandemic, are explained.
Although these words of José Andrés, who said in an interview, "Food is love... Long dinner tables will solve the problems in the world, not high walls," seem a bit naive, even his dream is beautiful...