Bringing paella to prime time

Americans discovered Spanish cuisine through José Andrés, who popularized tapas in the United States. The country is acknowledging his contribution to gastronomy with the equivalent of a culinary Oscar, which is awarded each year by the James Beard Foundation in New York.

The brand-new Outstanding Chef of the Year, an Asturian who was raised in Barcelona and has lived in the US for more than two decades, gets credit not just for his culinary know-how, but also for his business acumen. Andrés, 41, owns restaurants in Washington, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and Michelle Obama regularly consults him on issues of food policy.

"I arrived in the United States 21 years ago, and I have fulfilled my dream of showing this country all about Spanish cuisine and the great creative movement currently underway in our country. That is my small contribution," says Andrés, who trained under star chef Ferran Adrià in the 1980s.

As humble as he is forward-looking, Andrés immediately sought to share the credit for the prize - one of many he has received over the years. "If this is a tribute, it is a tribute to the work of the master, Ferran Adrià, who gave everything for Spanish cuisine. And also to the father of national gastronomy, Juan Mari Arzak," he said, in reference to the Catalan and Basque chefs. Asked whether the award should serve a purpose, he noted that "it should serve to make the government keep encouraging the presence of Spanish cuisine and products abroad. Our cuisine exists thanks to a great community of cattle breeders, farmers, fishermen and everyone else who keeps the sector going."

Each year, the James Beard Foundation nominates several chefs who have been working for at least five years and "have set national industry standards and served as inspiration for other food professionals." A jury of 500 experts voted for Andrés over other big-name contenders, such as Gary Danko and Paul Kahan.

Andrés' flagship restaurant is Jaleo, a hugely popular tapas bar in Washington that recently opened a branch in Las Vegas, where the most requested dish is paella.

Endowed with an overpowering personality, Andrés leads a hectic life inside and outside the kitchen. Known in Spain for hosting the cooking program Vamos a Cocinar (or, Let's cook) on Televisión Española (265 episodes in three years), he owns seven restaurants in the US and is also the founder and director of a food program for the homeless called DC Central Kitchen.

Every week he meets with politicians, participates in symposiums and delivers speeches at international institutions. His goal is always the same: to encourage healthy, sustainable eating habits that eliminate both hunger and obesity. Back in Washington, he has managed to get nutrition viewed as a matter of national security. His upcoming restaurant, Bazaar, is set to open soon at the SLS hotel in Miami. But even that is not enough: "Now I'm working on the creation of a Spanish Culinary Institute."