“Wherever there is a fight for food for the hungry, we will be there.” So said chef Jose Andres in Ron Howard’s recent Emmy-nominated documentary, “We Feed People.” But Andrés, like 53-year-old Santa from Spain, isn’t the type to just write a check from one of his Michelin-starred restaurants.
With his World Central Kitchen, established in 2010, Andrés has helped produce fresh food on a large scale using local cuisine in areas ravaged by natural disaster or war, from Puerto Rico to Haiti to Ukraine. But a time has been spent. In recent weeks, he was in parts of Florida affected by Hurricane Ian.
But while Andres is involved in humanitarian work, particularly in Ukraine, he is also busy sharing his message by expanding his media footprint. Much like a restaurant tasting menu where courses keep coming, Andres recently started his own production company, Jose Andres Media. Never mindful of self-aggrandizement, Andres doesn’t like having the company named after him, preferring the cook-friendly acronym JAM.
Launched nearly a year ago, JAM’s output includes the chef’s own weekly podcast, “Long Tables;” Another podcast, “pressure cooker” Hosted by Journalist Jane Black and Professor Elizabeth Dunn; buffet-rich substack News bulletin, and an upcoming Discovery+ television series (premiering later this year) in which he travels to Spain with his college-age daughters. Outside of Jam, Andres also voices Chef Al on the new Disney animated series “Firebuds,” which premiered last month.
The thing that ties all his projects together is the food. “Everyone has a relationship with food, from the moment we are being fed by our mothers,” Andres told TheWrap. “Forever, we remember that food equals love. That’s powerful. So, I think these stories are important and open up many other possibilities for people to understand more about themselves.”
This philosophy remains the driving force behind his life’s purpose. And with the founding of his media company, Andres’ foremost goal was to uncover the untold stories of the many individuals he has encountered, while also being an active part of the creative process behind the scenes.
“It means a lot that I made [José Andrés Media],” he said. “Where will the food ideas come and where do we give opportunities to those who find it difficult to do things. But now I can’t just give voice to the issues [that I care about]But I can also give a voice to others and we can help spread their voice.”
He expects everyone to think more about access to healthy food, even if the message has to be mixed with apple sauce. “I want everyone to think more about food, from the President of the United States to the last man in the system. And these [media endeavors] There are Trojan horses to make sure we’re going to reach as many people as possible and the way they interact with food.”
Although his remarkable humanitarian efforts are on a global scale, Andres wants to use his new platforms to tackle hunger in the United States, particularly in poor communities. “If you think about it, America is a really huge restaurant,” he said. “Let’s take a look at how many restaurants there are places that produce and sell food, from food trucks to diners from fast food to high end to low end. And we need to make sure the people who feed America can get their fill. There should be no situation where an American is hungry.”
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