World-renowned chef, restauranteur, humanitarian, New York Times bestselling author, educator and Emmy-winning television personality José Andrés will be the featured speaker Oct. 2 at the 2024 Fogelson Honors Forum hosted by John V. Roach Honors College on the TCU campus. This event is free to attend, but registration is required. Learn more on the official event page.
Twice named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” and awarded “Outstanding Chef” and “Humanitarian of the Year” by the James Beard Foundation, Andrés is an internationally recognized culinary innovator.
Born in Asturias and raised in Barcelona, Andrés is credited with popularizing the tapas concept in America with his first restaurant, Jaleo, and currently operates nearly 40 restaurants as the chef/owner of José Andrés Group. He has popularized Spanish culture and gastronomy on the airwaves with multiple hit TV programs and formed José Andrés Media in 2021 to produce television series, books, podcasts and digital content with a focus on food and culture-related storytelling.
In 2010, Andrés formed World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises. His team served over 3.6 million meals to the people of Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. In response to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, World Central Kitchen partnered with hundreds of restaurants and thousands of Ukrainians to prepare and serve hundreds of millions of meals to families across the country.
In 2023, Andrés founded the Global Food Institute at George Washington University in Washington D.C., with the intent of enabling and producing cutting-edge research to create and improve domestic and global food policies, incubate and engineer innovative new technologies and entrepreneurial spirit, and lead critical conversations about the impact of food on the human race.
Andrés’ work has earned awards and distinctions, including the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the 2015 National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama. Andrés was also named Washington Business Journal’s CEO of the Year in 2020 for his leadership and impact on the global business community and was awarded the Princesa de Asturias Foundation’s 2021 Concordia Prize for his humanitarian work.
Andrés currently serves as the co-chair of President Joe Biden’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, and, as a naturalized citizen originally from Spain, Andrés has also been a tireless advocate for immigration reform.
Learn more about the Fogelson Honors Forum and details on this year’s event.