Quote Of The Day By José Andrés: 'Everything Is More Interesting, More Vibrant, More Delicious, When There's...'

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If you love the concept of Spanish tapas — the tiny, snack-like dishes served on small plates meant to be shared — you can thank José Andrés for championing this style of dining in the United States. Born and raised in Spain, Andrés opened his first restaurant in America when he was just 23 years old. It opened in Washington, D.C., and introduced Spanish cuisine to the area in an approachable way. 

In the three decades since, the restaurant, called Jaleo, has expanded to two more locations (Las Vegas and Disney Springs), while Andrés' full culinary empire has grown to 40 restaurants — one of which holds two Michelin stars.

Andrés is more than just a phenomenal Spanish chef, though. He is a passionate humanitarian whose mission is always to feed people. He's the founder of World Central Kitchen, an organization that provides food to communities that are in the midst of a crisis, be it war or a hurricane. The James Beard Foundation recognized and awarded Andrés both as a chef and a humanitarian; in 2003, he was awarded Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic, and in 2018 he received the Humanitarian of the Year award.

Andrés is therefore influential in the kitchen and through the kitchen. In everything he does, he highlights his love for Spain and the culinary roots that define him so deeply — not just as a chef, but also as a person.

"Everything is more interesting, more vibrant, more delicious, when there's food around — especially when I am in Spain."

The quote comes from the foreword of Andrés' bestselling book "Spain My Way: Eat, Drink, and Cook Like a Spaniard." The book is not just a collection of recipes, but also stories from Andrés' homeland. Although the chef now lives in America, he still frequently returns to Spain, and openly credits the country as the birthplace of his love for food.

He calls Spain the place where "some of the best ingredients and most fascinating techniques are celebrated every day." He shows a lot of love and respect for authentic Spanish dishes, and simultaneously admits he's not above wild, personalized culinary creations that are directly inspired by the regions of Spain that have influenced him the most, such as Catalunya and Andalucia. Even so, he acknowledges that it was his departure from Spain that expanded his culinary horizons and ultimately made him a better chef, while also deepening his appreciation for his homeland's cuisine.

Good food can wake up all of your senses, and as Andrés points out, this is particularly easy to achieve through Spanish cuisine. Think of the classic seafood paella — the bright colors paired with the sizzling sound of the rice, mixed with the captivating smell of the dish, which, as soon as you take the first bite, turns into an array of textures and deep Mediterranean flavors. A delicious meal simply makes you more present.

In Andrés' experience, Spanish culture is very food-focused, much more so than American. It's not that people in the States don't love food; they do. It's that in Spain, more of life centers around the table, and that's especially the case with social relationships. Through his Spanish heritage, Andrés sees food as a connecting element that brings everyone closer together, regardless of their backgrounds.

As he wrote in the foreword, "Everyone at the table looks happy, deep in conversation, joking with each other. No one is left out; everyone is in on it." The Spanish dining isn't rushed — even after the meal is done, the social connection is fostered further by the custom of sobremesa, which keeps the conversations going. Everyone is awake, and everyone is connected. (That is, until siesta.)

"On Saturday mornings, we would all go to town to buy fresh produce, and then we would cook. I helped my father make the big paellas and my mother peel the red peppers to make her famous stew. Those were very happy moments. It was like being part of a symphony." — from a 2026 interview with Harvard Business Review.

"Being in DC, you meet people from all around the country and the world with different backgrounds and opinions. You're surrounded by diversity, so you understand the importance of building longer tables for everyone to sit at. If you don't agree with someone, invite them to dinner and talk about it, and maybe you will learn to see eye to eye." — from a 2026 interview with Harvard Business Review.

"So I realized that the only thing we had to do was that: boots on the ground. No plan, no meeting, and just start feeding people. In the process of feeding people the plan opens up." — from a 2021 interview with Vice News.