I don't give him time to think about it, because otherwise it will turn out prettier and that's cheating. Come on, your first gastronomic memory.
In Rivas, near Ejea de los Caballeros, Aragon. We had a relative whom I think I've only seen once in my life. I remember the small town, the cold, the rustic house with thick walls, the only light coming from the fire, a table, a loaf of bread... And there was that man in the shadows with a big knife, who made some breadcrumbs with little more than bread, a piece of bacon, and a fried egg over the fire... I had four plates.
You were in the kitchen of the Juan Sebastián Elcano. Any advice for the future Queen? Culinary or life advice, everything counts for Palace matters.
During my military service, I was at the Naval Training Center in San Fernando, and then I was assigned to Elcano. Although I didn't cook there, despite having been to restaurants like El Bulli, I listened a lot and observed with these eyes of mine, and I learned a lot. From military service, I absorbed teamwork, respect, effort, responsibility... And I think that, for Princess Leonor, that is key. Although I won't give her any advice; I believe she has the best example at home, with her father Felipe.
You packed your bags very young to fulfill all that of the American dream. Let's go to your first day.
I think it was a winter Monday, with those vapors coming out of the sewers, like in a movie in Gotham City, where the taxi driver dropped me 50 streets further than where I was going. I arrived with just enough money. So, welcome to America.
You then debuted as an immigrant. Tough times for those matters... And may God save me from naming any world leader.
I was a fortunate immigrant. I arrived at 20 years old with a bed to sleep in, a Visa, and a contract at a restaurant, with a salary that would allow me to live and have a good time. That's very easy. That's not what happened to the Spaniards who had to leave due to hunger, like the "indianos" in Asturias, or so many other examples from many other countries, from yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Come on, go ahead.
People will say, "José Andrés is a staunch defender of immigrants." No. What I am is a staunch defender of what is fair. What we cannot do is sustain our economy, with birth rates plummeting, thanks to people who are technically not recognized. Many clamor for them to come legally, but then the parties have very bad immigration policies that do not allow them to do so. And we need nurses, people in the fields, caregivers for our elderly. These are real needs that we must meet, and sometimes we can't because there is no workforce. What cannot be is that when we need them, we look the other way, and when we don't need them, they are the first people we want to get rid of. That is not logical, and worse, it is inhumane.
Let's talk about your organization, World Central Kitchen, in its toughest year, although seven deaths already speak for themselves. Shall we continue or retreat?
After what happened in Gaza, there has been a process of reflection. Because when I have been there, or in Ukraine, Cyprus, Jordan, Egypt, or Valencia, and all this in the last year, I left behind my wife and daughters, my friends, my businesses... And when they killed our own, who are like family, it is inevitable to think: "This wouldn't have happened if we hadn't gone."
Do you regret it?
No, I don't regret it at all. Some people say, "Look at this group of chefs, coming to take a photo." Hey, they killed seven of our own. And in Gaza, we served up to half a million meals a day. If we hadn't been there, who would have done what we did? It's not just about cooking, because anyone can do that. I'll give you the example of the DANA in Valencia. The important thing is to go door to door to see what people need, find the elderly who were alone and without power, set up temporary markets because those in Paiporta and Catarroja were destroyed, support the fishermen who had lost their jobs because they didn't have permission to fish in La Albufera, take hay to the shepherds so their sheep wouldn't starve...
It is said that Felipe González closed deals with world leaders in the wine cellar of La Moncloa. What a good wine and a good table will have...
At the NATO summit in Madrid, I had the opportunity to cook for world leaders and dedicate a few words to them: "The future of nations will depend on how they eat." If there is a meeting point that unites all human beings, it is food. The first gesture of love we receive when we come into the world is a mother feeding us. That first tangible thing we receive is breast milk, and with that gift, with that feeling, we connect to the world.
Less shouting and more Spanish omelette, then.
If our leaders, instead of being in a sterile office, sat around a table, perhaps we would avoid some wars. Or even end them.
What would you serve Putin and Zelensky at a hypothetical peace table?
What wouldn't serve them is Ukrainian borscht, which is a traditional soup, because both could claim the dish as their own. What is clear is who started the war, and that Ukraine has seen its country attacked and thousands of civilians massacred. Now that I think about it... Yes, I would serve them a great borscht with ingredients from both countries. A great soup with many ingredients that have been merging. In the end, life is a great borscht, a mixture of many people and cultures that over the centuries have had to coexist.
You offered yourself as a mediator between Sánchez and Casado years ago. Would you maintain that mission with Feijóo?
Of course. If there is something we Spaniards want, it is for politics not to be fratricidal. And there is no one I talk to who doesn't think the same. I always see the glass half full, I'm not one to smash it against the wall. When there is an obvious lack of ideas, the tendency is to blame the other. When all parties learn to accept that maybe what the other says is better, without making a King Kong roar, when politics is teamwork... we will be better. But it seems that here the Pax Romana is an impossible mission.
And since we're talking about kitchens; what would you cook for them?
Since one is from Madrid, the other from Galicia, and I'm from Asturias, a peace stew. And to avoid suspicions with the "compango," I would make it with clams.
How did you manage to win over Americans, who are not exactly known for having exquisite palates?
Here you'll allow me to be a bit serious, as an American that I have also been for many years. In the United States, it's not just the cheeseburger. There is truly fascinating food. Maine lobsters, giant Alaskan crabs, exquisite citrus fruits in California, Tennessee Bourbon...
Do you have a right of admission reserved in your restaurants? I ask because if one day Trump shows up, with whom you have had your ups and downs.
Everyone is welcome in my restaurants. Trump was democratically elected and came with a lot of desire for change. The thing is, there are different ways to do things. With dignity or without it. But if he came to one of my establishments and I saw him, of course, I would greet him. In fact, I will always be there if he needs me. During the pandemic, the first thing I did was go to the White House to meet with his team, including Ivanka Trump, to see how we could collaborate with rural areas and agriculture. And we did.
You are releasing a book, embarking on a television adventure with Martha Stewart... Can't you stay still for a moment, for God's sake?
Well, at one point we were the first to take paella to space, and now we are working on a project where astronauts will cook their own food at the International Space Station, instead of bringing it packaged from Earth. That is something unique. Cooking in space. Can you imagine it?
I have Netflix, I can already imagine anything. By the way: do you have time to cultivate any hobbies? Or to sleep?
I love collecting old cookbooks. Another of my hobbies is diving, and going down in a submarine, to those depths where it seems like nothing happens. I am passionate about golf. I have a group of friends with whom I practice it, and those four hours when we get together and talk about life, in the summer... I'm not good, but I'm competitive. And I am a music enthusiast. I have many friends in the industry, like Chris Martin or Dave Grohl, who started with Nirvana and when he's not with Foo Fighters, he organizes charity barbecues for the homeless... I go with the excuse of "I'll bring you food to the dressing room" and, little by little, we have formed a close-knit group.
What does the world taste like lately?
Like uncertainty. Those tasting menus written with very few words and culinary techniques you've never heard of, and you think, 'What will this taste like? Not like that menu of fried eggs with potatoes from everyday life. What I mean is that uncertainty doesn't have to be bad.
And what does Spain taste like?
Like a potpourri. That pot where everything was welcome and that is the origin of Spain's great stews: the Galician pot, the escudella, the Andalusian cabbage stew, the Madrid stew, the maragato... That diversity where everything comes together and something magical comes out of it. Spain is that pot to which we must continue to add ingredients and cook them because, always, if we shed our complexes, a great dish will continue to come out. Of course: we have to believe in it.