Spanish chef José Andrés awarded culinary "Oscar" in the USA

Spanish chef José Andrés has received the most prestigious culinary award in the USA.

José Andrés is credited with popularizing Spanish cuisine and especially tapas, the Spanish custom of eating various small dishes, and also has earned recognition for his string of successful restaurants throughout the US.  His most famous restaurant/minibar is Jaleo, located in Washington DC, challenged the conventional American mentality that restaurants should provide heaping portions of food. José Andrés has also opened up restaurants in Las Vegas and Los Angeles which count on a wide range of famous fans.

The Asturian Chef’s hard work he has been officially recognized.  On Monday, José Andrés was awarded the 2011 James Beard award as the nation’s most outstanding chef, the so-called Oscars of the culinary world.

Chef Andres was born in Asturias, Spain and grew up near Barcelona. He moved to the United States 21 years ago after training with fellow famous Spanish chef Ferran Adrià.  He is known not only for his cooking but also for his political lobbying on American food issues such as school lunch standards, child obesity, hunger, subsidies for agriculture and food marketing.

Upon accepting the award, Andrés stated:

"Food is the most powerful thing we have in our hands. Not only chefs, but everyone in the food community. The right use of food can end hunger. We have the responsibility to make sure that not only our great nation, but the world will always be better using food in the right way."

Chef José Andrés went on to praise his former teacher:

“If this is a recognition, so is the master work of Ferran Adrià, who has given everything to Spanish cuisine. And the father of national cuisine, Juan Mari Arzak.”

He went on to say that the Spanish government should continue to promote Spanish cuisine abroad.

The James Beard awards honor those who are considered to have followed the steps of James Beard, the dean of American cooking who died in 1985. The Beard Foundation is located in New York, where the ceremony was held on Monday, and honors chefs and restaurants from around the country with the nation’s most prestigious culinary recognition.

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