1 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:06,160 Speaker 1: Jose Andres is one of the world's greatest chefs and 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,879 Speaker 1: also one of the world's greatest humanitarians. Jose Andre's owns 3 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:12,920 Speaker 1: and operates thirty restaurants around the country and started the 4 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:16,520 Speaker 1: World Central Kitchen, which helps feed people in times of crisis. 5 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:19,480 Speaker 1: On this episode, appear to Pear I sit down with 6 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 1: Jose in my kitchen to discuss his transition from chef 7 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:26,280 Speaker 1: to humanitarian, how his organization is feeding people around the world, 8 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 1: and policies he hopes the Biden administration will adopt to 9 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 1: end the hunger crisis in America. Jose, thank you very 10 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:34,479 Speaker 1: much for coming to my house in Bethesda and to 11 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 1: my kitchen. Thank you for having me. It's an or 12 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:40,960 Speaker 1: to be here, really, So let's talk about your background 13 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:43,839 Speaker 1: and what you're doing, which is quite extraordinary. But to 14 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: give people a sense of it, you are Spanish by birth, 15 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:50,519 Speaker 1: and you came to the United States originally with the 16 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 1: Spanish Navy, Is that right? Yeah? First time? Well in 17 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 1: his Spain, the military, he's mandatory. Back in today's was 18 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 1: a dream of mine to beyond the navy. Uh. They 19 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:05,320 Speaker 1: put me to cook for the Admiral of Spain. Why 20 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:09,400 Speaker 1: because I already was young cook with talent. I already 21 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: was champion of Spain of young cooks. Really, you've already 22 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: had a background. Yeah, I began working in kitchens when 23 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 1: I was fourteen, very much fourteen fifteen. So in the military, 24 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:21,480 Speaker 1: all of the southern admiral. But I'm like, sir, I 25 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 1: don't want to cook for you, with all the respect, 26 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 1: But what are you saying, this is the best position 27 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: in the navy. No, I want to go on a boat. 28 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:32,760 Speaker 1: This boat I came to America and I traveled around 29 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 1: the wall was a tall ship, the Juce. He was 30 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 1: ten velcano, the training ship for the misshipment Foremast. It 31 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,959 Speaker 1: changed my life because on that boat, six months on 32 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:47,040 Speaker 1: the ocean, I learned the meaning of teamwork. I arrived 33 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: to Pensacola, Florida, and then I arrived to New York. 34 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: Can't you believe that thirty years ago with that ship, 35 00:01:55,680 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: I dock on the West Side in Manhattan on fairlieth Street. 36 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 1: Thirty years later, I opened my biggest restaurant, Mercado, Little Spain, 37 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 1: on thirty Street, hundred fifty meters away from the same 38 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:13,919 Speaker 1: place I arrived as a young sailor. American dreams. The 39 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: American dream is real. So after you finish your tour 40 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:20,959 Speaker 1: of duty in the Spanish Navy, you went back to Spain. 41 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: And when did you come to the United States as 42 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: a non navy person. Yeah. I arrived like around. I 43 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 1: came back like the beginning of to New York to 44 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 1: be a young cook in a in a Catalan restaurant 45 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 1: in New York in Manhattan. It was a lot of 46 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: investment that was coming from Spain into the United States. 47 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 1: Was the Olympic Games of Barcelon and two. It was 48 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 1: a lot of kind of cultural and business collaboration. I 49 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:53,920 Speaker 1: was one of those guys that came to America to 50 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 1: become almost like you know, a culinary ambassador to a degree. 51 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:01,799 Speaker 1: I came to America, I never looked back. So you 52 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:05,079 Speaker 1: set up your own restaurant eventually, and your first restaurant 53 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:08,080 Speaker 1: was at a Spanish restaurant. Yeah. I then I was 54 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: in New York. I left New York, I traveled around. 55 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 1: I went Puero Rico, I went to California, was in Lahoia. Um. 56 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:18,359 Speaker 1: I really got to know America, different parts of America. 57 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: But then I got to school two businessmen that both 58 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: had two restaurants. Robert to Albare's and Rob Wilder, and 59 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: they say, we're opening a Spanish restaurant in Washington, and 60 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 1: we would like for you to be our chef. I came, 61 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 1: I joined another great chef who was a partner, and 62 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 1: they excepted the chef and cushion. I was twenty three 63 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: was January of nine. Washington has been my home. Science 64 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 1: then now you have thirty restaurants more or less in 65 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: Las Vegas and other parts of the Los Angeles, Miami. 66 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 1: But they're not all the same in the words. You 67 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: have restaurants that to Spanish food, different types of food. 68 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:01,120 Speaker 1: Is that right? Yeah? In a way, what I do 69 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: is I don't open businesses. I always say I tell 70 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: his stories. I'm a cook. I expressed myself through my cooking, 71 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: my plates, and what you see is a collection of 72 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: his stories. I share with people, the stories I learned 73 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 1: and the stories that other people tell me, one place 74 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 1: at the time. Then they become restaurants. Now, the most 75 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: famous restaurant you ever wanted to open was in the 76 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:29,040 Speaker 1: Trump Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, and you had worked out 77 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:31,599 Speaker 1: in arrangement. I guess with Donald Trump before he was 78 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: elected president, and then after he made his opening speech 79 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 1: when he said he was going to run for president, 80 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 1: you decided to back out, He sued you. What was 81 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 1: that all about? And how that get resolved? Well, this 82 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:48,840 Speaker 1: was the restaurant where it became the building that used 83 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: to be the old Posts post house office, the old 84 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:55,800 Speaker 1: post office that became the Trump Hotel. Uh. I had 85 00:04:55,800 --> 00:05:00,120 Speaker 1: a dream of opening a restaurant on that building. But 86 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 1: then when Mr Trump began opening, he's making opinions about immigrants. 87 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:11,360 Speaker 1: I thought that the way he was doing it was 88 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:15,440 Speaker 1: not aligned with my values. I understand everybody can have 89 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:18,919 Speaker 1: their opinion, but their opinion should be respectful. He began 90 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 1: showing kind of a love disrespect in the way he 91 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:27,039 Speaker 1: was talking about my fellow citizens in this case, immigrants, 92 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 1: undocumented or not, just good people. At the end, I 93 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:35,800 Speaker 1: guess between the lawyers they arrived to a friendly resolution 94 00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 1: which I cannot talk much more about it. But he 95 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 1: opened his hotel and I got what I wanted. That 96 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:45,120 Speaker 1: was not opening my restaurant on that location. Okay, you 97 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:47,280 Speaker 1: have thirty restaurants, more or less not the one of 98 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 1: the Trump Hotel. You're pretty successful, you're well known. You're 99 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: also teaching at Harvard in food and other things. Pretty 100 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:57,719 Speaker 1: nice life. You're gonna build an even bigger business empire, 101 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:00,280 Speaker 1: and then all of a sudden, there's an earth quake 102 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:04,360 Speaker 1: in Haiti. So why did you decide to kind of 103 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: walk a little bit away from your restaurant business to 104 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:10,239 Speaker 1: go feed the people in Haiti. You're not Haitian, nobody 105 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: asked you to do this. What propelled you all of 106 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 1: a sudden say I'm going to feed the people in Haiti. 107 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: They don't have any food. I almost have to go 108 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:19,839 Speaker 1: back twenty years ago when I arrived the sea. First, 109 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:22,720 Speaker 1: I was able to go to an organization called this 110 00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:27,280 Speaker 1: c Central Kitchen, the best fighting hunger organization. I know. 111 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:30,320 Speaker 1: We don't only take care of people out of the 112 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:33,640 Speaker 1: streets and ex combats, UH put them in a place 113 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:38,040 Speaker 1: of of a possible success. We trend them to be cooked. 114 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 1: In the process, we get food that is about to 115 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:43,560 Speaker 1: be thrown away. We put everything together. We gave opportunity 116 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:46,800 Speaker 1: to people. We feed people at the same time. Brilliant idea. 117 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: I saw the power of food to change the lives 118 00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 1: of people, the life of our community. When Haiti happened, 119 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:55,080 Speaker 1: I was very close to Haiti. I was in the 120 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:59,159 Speaker 1: Cayman Islands, and it's almost like a connection. I'm enjoying 121 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:01,520 Speaker 1: a good time with my family on a beautiful island 122 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,039 Speaker 1: on navacation, and all of a sudden, I'm like, men, 123 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,520 Speaker 1: take a look at that disaster. I didn't go immediately, 124 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: but very very much. A few weeks later, I landed 125 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:14,760 Speaker 1: in Dominican Republic. I drove to Havy with one simple intention. 126 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 1: First to learn, because to help you must learn how 127 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 1: help must be provided. But for me, it was the 128 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:25,280 Speaker 1: beginning of the creation of Wall Central Kitchen. That was 129 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 1: very simple, to bring together the power of the food 130 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 1: people of the Wall restaurants, chefs, food people, farmers to 131 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:35,600 Speaker 1: make sure that we will be able to answer to 132 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 1: emergencies quickly and fast. Unlike sometimes when other relief organizations 133 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 1: go in to help people who are in distress, you 134 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: don't just say here's some food, go cook it. You 135 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:50,520 Speaker 1: actually provide meals themselves. You cook the meals. Is that 136 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:53,960 Speaker 1: right at the very beginning, when there is destruction, used 137 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 1: to think that you can get people food is used 138 00:07:56,240 --> 00:08:01,680 Speaker 1: very naive when its destruction means that the homes are destroyed, 139 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 1: there is no clean water, there is probably no gas, 140 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:09,560 Speaker 1: people are probably in distress, looking for loved ones. When 141 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:13,560 Speaker 1: chaos and happens, just you cannot give people use dry 142 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:16,040 Speaker 1: beans and expect that that's all you can do. At 143 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:18,800 Speaker 1: the very beginning, it's very important that you move away 144 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 1: the problem of where the food is coming from, where 145 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:25,040 Speaker 1: the water is coming from. This is one least less 146 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:27,760 Speaker 1: problem that they have to handle. So that's what we do. 147 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:31,880 Speaker 1: We arrive, we see the situation, We start feeling people 148 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 1: using whatever whatever possibilities we have in the places we go. 149 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:40,680 Speaker 1: Every situation has a different response. Let's talk about COVID. 150 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:44,840 Speaker 1: When COVID came, people stopped going out the restaurants. You 151 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:47,640 Speaker 1: had thirty restaurants. I assume you had to close virtually 152 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:49,480 Speaker 1: all of them, is that right? For a while, we 153 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:51,200 Speaker 1: we had to close all of that, but you still 154 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:54,080 Speaker 1: paid your employees for a while because you were nice 155 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:56,360 Speaker 1: about it. But it wasn't that kind of expensive to 156 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 1: paying people who weren't working. I mean, this is a 157 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:03,199 Speaker 1: decision I early will make again. My partners supported it, 158 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:06,200 Speaker 1: and then we were very lucky that then something called 159 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:09,120 Speaker 1: p P peeking. But when we made the decision, we 160 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:13,160 Speaker 1: kept everybody in peril for four or five six weeks 161 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:19,040 Speaker 1: and when you're talking about employees, that's a lot of money. 162 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:22,559 Speaker 1: But we had to do it because remember there were 163 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:26,800 Speaker 1: very cootic days. Nobody knew what was happening. We had 164 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:30,800 Speaker 1: to close because it's a virus. When we will be reopening. 165 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:35,320 Speaker 1: Everything was kind of very complex, and we thought that 166 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:37,160 Speaker 1: being there next to the people at the beginning was 167 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:39,160 Speaker 1: the right thing. I will do it ten times over. 168 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:42,360 Speaker 1: So in this period of COVID, you have been feeding 169 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:45,600 Speaker 1: people in the United States who have lost their jobs, 170 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:48,480 Speaker 1: who don't have food. Did you ever think in the 171 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: United States should be in a situation where people are 172 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:54,679 Speaker 1: standing in food lines and quite the level that we've seen. Um, 173 00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:59,079 Speaker 1: kind of we saw a glimpse when the federal government 174 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:02,080 Speaker 1: shut down. We don't realize that we had many Americans, 175 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:05,640 Speaker 1: hundreds of thousands of Americans, millions without a paycheck for 176 00:10:05,679 --> 00:10:09,200 Speaker 1: six weeks. And some people could handle it, but was many, 177 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:14,720 Speaker 1: especially mothers, single mothers with few children, not pay checked 178 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:18,199 Speaker 1: from the federal government. Many of them suffered. So we 179 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:21,600 Speaker 1: already began kind of a system where we were fitting 180 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:24,720 Speaker 1: over thirty six states and we were doing thousands and 181 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:29,559 Speaker 1: thousands of mills. These somehow was the training for what happened. 182 00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:32,839 Speaker 1: I never reminded that we will have something like this, 183 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:37,720 Speaker 1: but we knew that America, as great of a country 184 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:40,600 Speaker 1: we have, it's a lot of people that they are 185 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 1: living under the poverty line. And when something like this happening, 186 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:49,000 Speaker 1: when people losing their jobs, an emergency situation like the 187 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:52,040 Speaker 1: one we were facing, that hunger was going to be 188 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:57,200 Speaker 1: open for everybody to see. Well, despite your efforts, which 189 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:00,240 Speaker 1: have been heroic, many Americans are going to sleep at 190 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:02,800 Speaker 1: night hungry. And I think there are large numbers of 191 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: tens and tens of millions of Americans. So is that 192 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:08,840 Speaker 1: because the government isn't getting food to people in addition 193 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:10,680 Speaker 1: to what you're doing, or people just don't have the money, 194 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:13,560 Speaker 1: or what is the basic problem? Well, what's in the kitchen? 195 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:15,560 Speaker 1: We are used the tip of the iceberg is many 196 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:18,560 Speaker 1: great organizations doing good work. But what happens is we 197 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:23,240 Speaker 1: don't have anybody that really is trying to coordinate everything. 198 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:27,000 Speaker 1: We saw in these pandemic hospitals without food because everything 199 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:29,480 Speaker 1: was shut down. People were not going to work, cooks 200 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:31,320 Speaker 1: were not going to the kitchens. All of the sudden, 201 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:35,080 Speaker 1: you had hospitals that nobody was feeding. Organizations like World 202 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 1: Center a kitchen. We had to activate that emergency. But 203 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 1: then we saw millions of Americans losing their jobs, many 204 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:46,640 Speaker 1: of them are undocumented. We I'm not gonna get political 205 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:49,800 Speaker 1: if we should be taking care of them documented or not, 206 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:53,000 Speaker 1: but this is the reality that we had millions of 207 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:57,480 Speaker 1: America undocumented work in the fields, so you and I 208 00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:01,040 Speaker 1: we could have festivals in the supermarket, working on delivery, 209 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 1: so you and I we could beginning food deliver home. 210 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:08,199 Speaker 1: We hadn't documented that they've been moving America through this pandemics. 211 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:11,600 Speaker 1: So is very clear to me that we must be 212 00:12:11,679 --> 00:12:16,440 Speaker 1: taking care of everybody. The federal government has possibilities to 213 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:20,280 Speaker 1: have a better way to keep everybody fed. The last 214 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:25,240 Speaker 1: big meaningful conversation about how to fit America happened in 215 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:29,319 Speaker 1: nineteen nine under the Nixon administration, which was the White 216 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:33,520 Speaker 1: House Summit of sixty nine, fifty years ago. Over fifty 217 00:12:33,559 --> 00:12:36,480 Speaker 1: years ago is what overdue that we have another food 218 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:39,400 Speaker 1: Summit at the White House where we bring the ideas 219 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:42,959 Speaker 1: that have worked in the past, new ideas that they 220 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:46,520 Speaker 1: need to be coming forward and improving, others that need 221 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:49,360 Speaker 1: some tweaking. We have the power to do it. I 222 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:53,280 Speaker 1: hope that in Disney administration and Republicans and Democrats together 223 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:55,920 Speaker 1: will come to allow those new ideas to come and flourish. 224 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:58,000 Speaker 1: Now you've argued, I think that there should be a 225 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:01,640 Speaker 1: food ZAR and that Department of Agriculture should be maybe 226 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:05,360 Speaker 1: renamed Department of Food and Agriculture. Right now, who's in 227 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:11,840 Speaker 1: charge of food in the United States? Quite frankly, technically nobody, 228 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:14,240 Speaker 1: uh And I know some people would say, Jose, come on, 229 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:17,280 Speaker 1: I'm here, Jose, I'm here. We need the person next 230 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:23,520 Speaker 1: to the president that has the big political support and 231 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:29,000 Speaker 1: the office we need. After September eleven, the the National 232 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:32,840 Speaker 1: Director of Intelligence Office was created to make sure that 233 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:36,760 Speaker 1: all the agencies and all the intelligence people will come 234 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 1: together so we can be good defending America from a 235 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:43,480 Speaker 1: possible terrorist attack. I do believe it's time that we 236 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:47,199 Speaker 1: will create also the Office of the National Director of 237 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:50,680 Speaker 1: Food and Nutrition at the White House, almost with a 238 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: seat on the National Security Council next to the President, 239 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:57,199 Speaker 1: and making sure that we bring the resources of every 240 00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:00,319 Speaker 1: single department. Foot is more than the U S. The 241 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:03,640 Speaker 1: A even is the obvious one, but food is also 242 00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:07,640 Speaker 1: the Department of Housing. We can end food desserts in 243 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:11,959 Speaker 1: every houseing project that the US Housing Department have is 244 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:16,280 Speaker 1: transportation because food also needs to have good mechanemic sims 245 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:20,280 Speaker 1: to bring food to the poor rural areas all across America. 246 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:26,080 Speaker 1: Food is also homeland security, It's food, dis immigration reform, food. 247 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:29,080 Speaker 1: It's so many things at once that that's why we 248 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:32,560 Speaker 1: need to take food once and for all. Seriously, So 249 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:38,560 Speaker 1: you campaign for um Joe Biden President Biden, Um, would 250 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:40,360 Speaker 1: you've been interested in this job? Or you still got 251 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:42,640 Speaker 1: your restaurants in World Central Kitchen? So you're not gonna 252 00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 1: do something like that in the White House yourself? It 253 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:49,560 Speaker 1: was there nobody else. Maybe I could be a good 254 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:52,800 Speaker 1: a good leader on that front, only because I'm a 255 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:56,120 Speaker 1: hard worker. I'm creative enough, and I know who to 256 00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:59,000 Speaker 1: bring people together. But me, quite frankly, I'm a guy 257 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:02,000 Speaker 1: that likes to be with wots on the ground. I 258 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 1: like to see what's happening. So, uh it is me 259 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:08,440 Speaker 1: one day, who knows I'm fifty one. Now. What I 260 00:15:08,480 --> 00:15:10,360 Speaker 1: want now is to make sure the number one we 261 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:13,200 Speaker 1: recognize that we need that person, that we recognize we 262 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 1: need that position, and that Actually I'm very happy with 263 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:20,560 Speaker 1: Secretary Bill set because we need somebody with expertise. Obviously, 264 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:25,720 Speaker 1: having a governor of a rural uh estate, Having somebody 265 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 1: that has done ideas as Secretary of Agriculture is going 266 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:32,440 Speaker 1: to help enormously to put the USDA forward. And I 267 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:35,240 Speaker 1: know he's coming to the position with both ideas. But 268 00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 1: I keep saying, we need the White White House Food Summit, 269 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:42,280 Speaker 1: and we need this new director National Director of Food 270 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:45,360 Speaker 1: the Nutrition. This is imperative. If we don't do this, 271 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:49,520 Speaker 1: we're gonna miss a lot of opportunities to maximize the 272 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:54,040 Speaker 1: potential of the many agencies coming working together. So when 273 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:56,800 Speaker 1: you're a chef, you're cooking elaborate me as for people. 274 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:00,480 Speaker 1: They then consume it in five or ten minutes. Uh. 275 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:02,840 Speaker 1: Do you get pleasure at making people happy? Or do 276 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:04,440 Speaker 1: you say I work so hard on this and now 277 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 1: it's gone in five or ten minutes. Well, sometimes I 278 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:11,000 Speaker 1: create dishes that they are used experiencing one second. Sometimes 279 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:13,400 Speaker 1: a second is all it needs, you know. Sometimes one 280 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 1: of the most amazing things if you get freshes now 281 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:19,800 Speaker 1: and you go out with a spoon and you grab 282 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: the top of the snow fresh you get a little 283 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:24,840 Speaker 1: bit of honey on maple syrup and you put a 284 00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 1: touch on top, a little bit of salt, and you 285 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:31,320 Speaker 1: bring that snow that you came down and you put 286 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:34,360 Speaker 1: in your mouth. Your life is gonna change forever because 287 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 1: that's gonna be the best or bad, the best that 288 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:42,720 Speaker 1: you've ever eaten. So it's very important to understand those moments. 289 00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:44,960 Speaker 1: So when you go home after a hard day at work, 290 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:47,600 Speaker 1: world's central kitchen or your restaurants, do you say to 291 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:49,720 Speaker 1: your wife, could you cook a meal for me? Or 292 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:51,960 Speaker 1: do you do all the cooking at home as well? No? 293 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:54,160 Speaker 1: She my wife has a lot of cooking at home, 294 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:58,440 Speaker 1: and my daughter's obviously she has more the traditional recipes 295 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:01,560 Speaker 1: that we always cook, like lenty or cheek peace with spinish. 296 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:05,280 Speaker 1: Those are dishes that are always in my home and 297 00:17:05,359 --> 00:17:08,320 Speaker 1: my daughter's love. But you don't say, honey, this isn't 298 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:10,639 Speaker 1: quite as good as I would have cooked it, or 299 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:12,080 Speaker 1: let me tell you how to cook this better. You 300 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:14,280 Speaker 1: never say that when my wife cooks is always the 301 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:17,560 Speaker 1: best meal. Okay. So if you were in a desert 302 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:21,040 Speaker 1: island and you can only have one meal, what would 303 00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:23,480 Speaker 1: you want to eat? What is your favorite food eat? 304 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:30,040 Speaker 1: If I was in an one meal these uh, probably, 305 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:36,240 Speaker 1: without doubt, without doubt, I will say, give me an egg, 306 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:41,359 Speaker 1: an egg I love ex okay, I love fry egg. 307 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:45,160 Speaker 1: Is the most complex thing in the history of mankind 308 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:50,320 Speaker 1: to fry an egg properly. Those people that will control 309 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:53,720 Speaker 1: the power to fry an egg, it's just people that 310 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:58,040 Speaker 1: they can't retire from anything else on life because it's 311 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:00,960 Speaker 1: the ultimate thing in life to now how to properly 312 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:06,040 Speaker 1: fry an egg. So around the world there is a 313 00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:09,320 Speaker 1: rating system of great restaurants, a Michelin Guide. Do you 314 00:18:09,359 --> 00:18:11,879 Speaker 1: pay attention to that kind of thing? Is that important 315 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:13,760 Speaker 1: to you Mischiling Guide stars? Or is that not that 316 00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:16,040 Speaker 1: big of deal. When I was fourteen fifteen years old 317 00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:20,800 Speaker 1: in Barcelona, I will walk outside one to three Michelling 318 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:24,639 Speaker 1: Star restaurants only so I could have the opportunity to 319 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:27,480 Speaker 1: have a glimpse inside, because my family will not take 320 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:30,760 Speaker 1: them me. There were expensive restaurants. I still remember that 321 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:33,040 Speaker 1: my heart was kind of bumping the first time I 322 00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:36,719 Speaker 1: came into a Michelling and Star restaurant in the kitchen 323 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:42,000 Speaker 1: no even to eat, so in my myself. Thirty five 324 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:45,960 Speaker 1: plast years later, obviously I have two restaurants with two 325 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:50,440 Speaker 1: two Michelling Stars. Uh in l A and Miami, even 326 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:53,359 Speaker 1: De l A one is already closed. And the biggest 327 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:55,440 Speaker 1: joy of my life was the day we got those 328 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:57,960 Speaker 1: two star. Michelling Whill I wore hard to try to 329 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 1: get in the future a third star. Sure, it's what 330 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:05,080 Speaker 1: you live in life for right it's Michelin has been 331 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:07,680 Speaker 1: here forever, is one of the big guys. I don't 332 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:09,439 Speaker 1: do it so much for Michelin. I do it for 333 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:11,560 Speaker 1: my team. I do it for me. I do it 334 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:13,480 Speaker 1: for the people. I do it for the pride. But 335 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:16,639 Speaker 1: do I would work in the future to try to 336 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:20,320 Speaker 1: achieve through star Michelin? You bet I will for your 337 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:23,440 Speaker 1: humanitarian efforts. You've been nominated for the Nobel Peace Price, 338 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:26,040 Speaker 1: So I don't know, they said. But I don't know. 339 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:28,080 Speaker 1: But is that something you care about or you're more 340 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:30,920 Speaker 1: focused a lot of stuff? I mean quite frankly, all 341 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:35,199 Speaker 1: those things are are good for the forrest gum movies 342 00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:38,080 Speaker 1: of my life. But at the end, what I care. 343 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:41,479 Speaker 1: I have hard time now knowing when there is an 344 00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:45,440 Speaker 1: emergency and I'm not there right now next to be 345 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:49,320 Speaker 1: with my family. My heart really is at his best, 346 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:53,359 Speaker 1: and I feel good with myself when I'm in a 347 00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:55,960 Speaker 1: Maria in an emergency, knowing that we are bringing relief 348 00:19:56,040 --> 00:19:58,359 Speaker 1: to others as I thank you very much for coming 349 00:19:58,359 --> 00:20:00,880 Speaker 1: to my kitchen. I've been your kitchen many times. Mine 350 00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:03,480 Speaker 1: is not quite as good as yours, but it's the 351 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:07,280 Speaker 1: best I have. Thank you very much. Thanks for listening 352 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:09,800 Speaker 1: to hear more of my interviews. You can subscribe and 353 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:13,960 Speaker 1: download my podcast on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen.