José Andrés is a cookbook author, a James Beard Foundation–award winner, the owner of top Washington, D.C., restaurants including Café Atlantico, Oyamel, and Zaytinya, and the host of PBS's Spanish-cooking program, Made in Spain. With these credentials, you might expect him to be all business when cooking at home, but instead, he makes mealtime an opportunity to bond with his kids.
"It is not just feeding them. It is teaching them about what you do with an artichoke, where they come from and how they grow, telling stories about how I used to eat them in Spain when I was a boy. We have a great market in Dupont Circle on Sundays, so we go together to shop and then take everything home to cook together."
Q: How has being a dad influenced your cooking?
A: Food has a great power to transport you, to evoke memories. I still think back to my mother's kitchen when I ate flan, or my aunt's house in Asturias when I ate certain dishes. You are reconnecting with your family or your culture by preparing and eating those very same foods. Knowing how powerful food memories can be, I wanted to make sure I create those good memories with my daughters. We cook Spanish dishes for the girls as a way to remind them of where we come from.
Q. What do you recommend for introducing kids to new cuisines?
A: I think a lot of parents assume kids can't handle new flavors and textures. This is a mistake. Children are clean slates. And don't make it seem weird to like new things. If you make it seem weird, your kids will never go for it.
Q. What do you like to make when entertaining in the summer?
A: Gazpacho, the classic chilled tomato soup from Andalucia. There is nothing better on a hot day. We keep a pitcher in the refrigerator at all times, and for me there is no better way to use summer vegetables. I also like to make paella on the barbecue. In Spain, the men often take care of preparing the paella, just like barbecue in America.
Q. What's the most memorable meal you've eaten or prepared?
A: I am very proud of having been culinary chairman of a recent dinner in Miami in honor of the king and queen of Spain. It was the 500th anniversary of the Spanish presence in Florida. For me, a boy from a small town in Asturias, to be preparing this dinner for the king and queen of my country was a very moving experience.
Q. What was your biggest cooking disaster?
A: When I was in cooking school, I worked at a restaurant in Barcelona. The dining room's main feature was this huge fish tank. One day, a big order of canelones (stuffed pasta) came in. I decided to use this very large pan, one so big we almost never touched it because carrying it was a two-man job. When the canelones were ready, I pulled the pan from the oven and took it into the dining room, where the customer was waiting with the boss, but I realized I was moving faster than I wanted. The pan was so long, and I was only a skinny boy of 17. I lost control. The pan pulled me right toward the fish tank. At that point, I couldn't hold on any longer to the hot, heavy pan, and the canelones, the pan, everything went right into the water. The client and the boss were speechless.
Q. What do you cook at home with your kids?
A: Pancakes are a favorite. We use a traditional American recipe, but with good Spanish olive oil instead of butter. This is a good example of how food tells a story. We are Spanish parents of three very American girls. I think olive-oil pancakes represent our family very well.
Q. Who inspired you to become a chef?
A: My parents cooked all the time at home, and I always loved to help in the kitchen. I think I recognized very early the power of food to bring people together, to impart memories, to take you places, and I knew I wanted to be part of that. When I was 15, my father enrolled me in cooking school.
Q. Best cooking trick or tip?
A: You don't need to boil water to boil an egg. Eggs actually cook just fine at a lower temperature. Bring the water to a boil, add the egg, cover and remove from the heat.
Q. Favorite kitchen tool?
A: I love my juicer. Every day, I start with a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice. That is my breakfast.
Q: Any tips for getting picky kids to eat?
A: Really listen to them. What are they objecting to? Are they having a problem with the flavor? The temperature? The texture? The smell? Your child may be objecting to one aspect of the dish, not everything. A little modification and they might be just fine. Maybe serve it room temperature or cold. Maybe serve the sauce on the side. Remember that adventurous, open-minded eaters are made, not born. Keep exposing them to new flavors.
Q: If you haven't shopped in a week and need to prepare a quick family meal, what do you make?
A: Eggs are inexpensive and nutritious, and you can cook them quickly. Tortilla de patatas, the classic Spanish omelet of potato and onion, is a great quick dish. You can even save time by using good-quality potato chips instead of potatoes. A poached egg can transform a salad or a soup. Some fried eggs with a pisto manchego [Castilian vegetable stew of pepper, tomato, eggplant, and squash] can make a nice quick dinner.
Q: What's the ratio of home-cooked to takeout food in your house?
A: Sometimes we get food from one of the restaurants, but mostly it is home cooking. It just requires a little will and a little organization. Make a plan, shop to be able to execute your plan, and use the extra time on weekends to set yourself up.
Q: Do you have favorite food-related charity or cause?
A: It is crazy to me that in a country with so much, there are people who are hungry. That is why I have been involved with a group called D.C. Central Kitchen for over 10 years. D.C. Central Kitchen collects and distributes enough food to feed thousands of hungry people every day—millions of pounds of food every year. The organization also runs a culinary school, teaching people the skills they need to get jobs in the restaurant industry. It helps students open the door to a better future for themselves and their families.
