José Andrés prefers to be called "cook" rather than "chef" (despite hosting a new show premiering in May called Yes, Chef). "A chef is someone who knows what they are doing and knows how to run a kitchen," he said. "I am a cook. Give me some food and I will make something for you to eat."
This is what started the conversation between Andrés and Michael Sebastian, our editor in chief, during the Hearst Eco-Conscious Living Summit on 23 April, 2025. In Michael's telling, Andrés is quite the maverick, doing baller manoeuvres to feed people during times of extreme devastation, whether climate-induced (such as after Hurricane Dorian, which devastated the Bahamas, or the recent earthquakes in Myanmar) or from human violence (such as in Gaza and Ukraine).
As Andrés sees it, if helicopters can go into a region for search-and-rescue, then people can fly in to provide food and water at the same time. "World Central Kitchen was created so my community can activate in disasters," he said. "In the worst moments of humanity, you see the best of humanity—no politics, no race."
It is insights like these that make up his newest book, Change the Recipe, in which Andrés recounts the stories that have most affected him and taught him the most powerful life lessons. One is the power of food. Throughout the talk, he shared how food defines who we are, no matter how dry the turkey is and how thick or runny the gravy is. "It's our turkey and gravy," he explained.
Watch the video to see Andrés talk about how he stays hopeful, what he sees in humanity, and his view of the MAHA movement.
