Jose Andres Biography: Net Worth, Age, Wife, Children, Height, Parents, Books, Recipes, Family

Jose Andres is a Spanish-American chef, restaurateur, author, and humanitarian best known for popularizing tapas dining in the United States and for founding World Central Kitchen, the nonprofit that provides emergency meals in disaster and conflict zones worldwide.

Born José Ramón Andrés Puerta on July 13, 1969, in Mieres, Asturias, Spain, he is 57 years old.

Andrés trained at culinary school in Barcelona and spent three years at the legendary El Bulli under Ferran Adrià before moving to the United States in 1991 with just $50 in his pocket. He settled in Washington, D.C., where his restaurant Jaleo helped introduce American diners to Spanish small plates. He went on to build ThinkFoodGroup, a restaurant empire now spanning nearly 30 venues and four Michelin stars, including his avant-garde tasting counter minibar by José Andrés.

In 2010, following the Haiti earthquake, he founded World Central Kitchen, which has since delivered relief meals after disasters including the Beirut port explosion, the Surfside condo collapse, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the war in Gaza.

Seven WCK aid workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza in April 2024, a loss that drew global attention to the organization’s work. Andrés has received numerous honors for both his cooking and his humanitarian efforts, including multiple James Beard Awards and a National Humanities Medal. He is married to Patricia Fernández de la Cruz, with whom he has three children.

Jose Andres
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	José Ramón Andrés Puerta
Stage Name:	Jose Andres
Born:	July 13, 1969 (age 57 years old)
Place of Birth:	Mieres, Asturias, Spain
Nationality:	Spanish-American
Ethnicity:	Spanish
Education:	Escola de Restauració i Hostalatge, Barcelona
Height:	178 cm (5 feet 10 inches)
Religion:	Roman Catholic
Parents:	Mariano Andrés, Marisa Puerta
Spouse:	Patricia Fernández de la Cruz (m. 1995)
Relationship:	Not publicly disclosed
Children:	Carlota Andrés, Inés Andrés, Lucía Andrés
Occupation:	Chef, Restaurateur, Author, Television Personality, Humanitarian
Net Worth:	$50 million-$70 million

Early Life & Education

José Andrés, born José Ramón Andrés Puerta, was born on July 13, 1969, in Mieres, Asturias, in northwest Spain. He is 57 years old and was born under the zodiac sign of Cancer.

Andrés is Spanish by ethnicity and was raised Roman Catholic, the predominant religion in Spain. His parents, Mariano Andrés and Marisa Puerta, were both nurses. His siblings have not been publicly disclosed.

When Andrés was around five years old, his family relocated from Asturias to the outskirts of Barcelona, where he grew up. He developed an early love for cooking in his parents’ kitchen, helping his mother bake by age eight and making complex dishes like paella by age twelve, with his father teaching him to control the fire before ever letting him cook.

At age 15, he enrolled at the Escola de Restauració i Hostalatge in Barcelona to begin his formal culinary education. During this period, he also apprenticed at El Bulli under chef Ferran Adrià and later completed compulsory Spanish military service, during which he served as a chef to an admiral.

Career

Andrés launched his American career in New York City in 1991, working as a cook at Eldorado Petit after leaving El Bulli the year before.

In 1993, restaurateurs Rob Wilder and Roberto Álvarez recruited him to Washington, D.C., to head the kitchen at Jaleo, a new tapas restaurant. The venture became a sensation, introducing American diners to modern Spanish small plates and setting the standard for Spanish dining in the country for years afterward.

Building on that success, Andrés took over the Nuevo Latino menu at Café Atlántico in 1995 and went on to open Zaytinya, a Mediterranean concept, and Oyamel, a Mexican eatery. He also launched minibar by José Andrés, an avant-garde tasting counter that would go on to earn two Michelin stars, making him the only chef to hold both a two-star Michelin restaurant and four Bib Gourmands.

In 2006, Andrés and Wilder consolidated their ventures into a parent company, ThinkFoodGroup, which grew to oversee roughly 30 restaurants worldwide, including China Poblano, é by José Andrés, Fish, J & G Steakhouse, Saam, Tres, and The Bazaar locations in Beverly Hills, South Beach, and beyond.

The group’s footprint later expanded into Las Vegas, Miami, Dubai, and Chicago, with restaurants such as China Chilcano, Bazaar Meat, and Mercado Little Spain. Andrés now operates his restaurant portfolio, spanning around 40 venues, under the José Andrés Group.

Beyond the kitchen, Andrés built a substantial media presence. He hosted Vamos a Cocinar on Spain’s Televisión Española from 2005 to 2007 and the PBS series Made in Spain starting in 2008, and later co-produced the Daytime Emmy-winning CNN docuseries José Andrés and Family in Spain.

He has also appeared as a guest on programs including Iron Chef America, Top Chef, and Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, and in 2021 founded José Andrés Media to oversee television, podcast, and publishing projects. He is a New York Times bestselling author of several cookbooks, including Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America and We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time.

Andrés’s culinary achievements have earned him some of the industry’s highest honors, including the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic award in 2003 and its Outstanding Chef award in 2011, along with recognition as one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People on two occasions.

In 2010, he founded World Central Kitchen, the humanitarian organization that has since become as central to his public identity as his restaurant work, delivering millions of meals in the aftermath of disasters including Hurricane Maria, the Beirut port explosion, and the war in Gaza.

Social Media

• Wikipedia: José Andrés
• X: Chef José Andrés 🕊️🥘🍳 (@chefjoseandres)
• Facebook: José Andrés (@chefjoseandres)
• Instagram: José Andrés (@chefjoseandres)
• TikTok: José Andrés (@chefjoseandres)

Personal Life

Jose Andres is 57 years old. He stands at approximately 178 cm (5 feet 10 inches), though exact figures remain unconfirmed.

Andrés is married to Patricia Fernández de la Cruz, known as “Tichi,” a fellow Spaniard originally from Cádiz, Andalusia. The two met while both living in Washington, D.C., and married in September 1995 (m. 1995), first in a civil ceremony in the United States followed by a religious ceremony in Spain. Both became naturalized U.S. citizens in 2013, and the couple lives in Bethesda, Maryland.

Andrés and Patricia Andres have three daughters together: Carlota Andrés, Inés Andrés, and Lucía Andrés. All three attended The Woods Academy in Bethesda, with Inés and Lucía continuing on to Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart.

Net Worth

José Andrés has an estimated net worth of $50 million to $70 million, built primarily from his sprawling restaurant portfolio under the José Andrés Group, which spans roughly 40 venues across the United States and abroad.

His wealth also draws from his television career, his catalog of New York Times bestselling cookbooks, and various brand partnerships and media ventures under José Andrés Media.

Restaurants

Under the José Andrés Group (formerly ThinkFoodGroup):

• Jaleo (Washington, D.C.; Las Vegas; South Beach; Orlando)
• Café Atlántico
• Zaytinya (Washington, D.C.; New York City; Miami Beach; Culver City; Las Vegas; Palo Alto)
• Oyamel
• minibar by José Andrés (two Michelin stars)
• barmini
• China Poblano (Las Vegas)
• China Chilcano (Washington, D.C.)
• The Bazaar by José Andrés (Beverly Hills; South Beach; Washington, D.C.; New York City)
• Bazaar Meat (Las Vegas; Chicago)
• Bar Mar (Chicago; Glendale)
• Bar Centro (Las Vegas)
• Nubeluz (New York City)
• é by José Andrés
• Beefsteak
• San Laurel (Los Angeles)
• Spanish Diner (Bethesda, Maryland)
• Pepe
• Mercado Little Spain (New York City)

Filmography

Television:

• Vamos a Cocinar (Televisión Española, 2005-2007) – host
• Made in Spain (PBS, 2008) – host, executive producer
• Iron Chef America – guest
• Top Chef – guest
• Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations – guest
• Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown – guest
• José Andrés and Family in Spain (CNN/Discovery+, 2022-present) – host
• Yes, Chef! – co-host

Bibliography

• Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America (2005)
• Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen (2008)
• We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time (2018)
• Vegetables Unleashed (2019)

Ventures

• World Central Kitchen (founder, 2010)
• José Andrés Media (founder, 2021)
• Global Food Institute, George Washington University (founder)

What People Ask