José Andrés is the 2013 inductee into the MenuMasters Hall of Fame, Nation’s Restaurant News announced on Monday.
Spanish-born Andrés, chef-owner of the Think Food Group based in Washington, D.C., has been operating restaurants since he opened Jaleo with Rob Wilder and Roberto Alvares in 1993, which has been credited with helping to spark the popularity of tapas in the United States. Since then he has opened numerous restaurants in D.C. highlighting different cuisines, including Mexican eateries Café Atlantico and Oyamel, Eastern Mediterranean Zaytinya and avant-garde Minibar. He also opened The Bazaar, with locations in Beverly Hills, Calif., and Miami Beach, Fla., offering a multicultural array of dishes. Last year he opened a spiritual cousin of Minibar, é by José Andrés, at The Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas.
At the end of 2012 he opened Mi Casa at Dorado Beach in Dorado, Puerto Rico. In 2011 Andrés also opened a pop-up restaurant, America Eats Tavern, in conjunction with a National Archive exhibit that chronicled the government’s influence on the American diet.
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Andrés also is the founder of hunger relief organization of World Central Kitchen and is chairman emeritus of DC Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that uses "food as a tool to strengthen our community."
He won the 2003 James Beard Foundation award for best chef in the Mid-Atlantic, and he was inducted into the foundation’s Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America in 2007. In addition, he was named one of GQ magazine’s men of the year in 2009 and won the James Beard Foundation Award for outstanding chef in 2011.
The MenuMasters Awards are produced by Nation’s Restaurant News and sponsored by Ventura Foods. They honor outstanding menu development plus excellence in foodservice research and development. The winners are selected by the editorial board of Nation’s Restaurant News.
“Chef José Andrés is a stellar addition to the long list of culinary luminaries who have received this recognition,” NRN publisher Randall Friedman said, noting that the 16-year-old award, presented by the publication, is among the most prestigious honors in the restaurant business.
“He embodies what the foodservice industry is all about — an unwavering passion for food, a willingness to share knowledge and expertise for the greater good of industry peers, and a desire to help people and communities in need. Nation’s Restaurant News is honored to be inducting him into the MenuMasters Hall of Fame.”
Previous hall of fame inductees have included celebrity chefs Wolfgang Puck, Paul Prudhomme, Jacques Pépin and Tom Colicchio.
“I am humbled to be named in the MenuMasters Hall of Fame,” Andrés said. “I love what I do. My team and I work hard, and our goal is always to astonish you, whether you come see us in D.C., Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles or Puerto Rico. We keep pushing to be better and to earn your respect.”
Andrés will be honored along with other MenuMasters award winners at a gala ceremony sponsored by Ventura Foods at the Drake Hotel in Chicago on May 18.
“We look forward to congratulating Chef Jose Andres as this year’s Hall of Fame Inductee,” said Ventura Foods president and chief executive Chris Furman. “He is truly an inspiration to the foodservice industry, and his impact is felt on the plate as well as in the communities he serves.”
Contact Bret Thorn at bret.thorn@penton.com.
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