José Andrés named American Chef of the Year: website

ETX Daily Up

14 January 2013 at 12:17 pm

José Andrés and Massimo Bottura have been tapped as chefs of the year by influential website The Daily Meal for redefining the food landscape, pushing culinary boundaries and serving as ambassadors for their gastronomic heritage.

In a sea of chef talent, Spanish chef Andrés and Italy’s Bottura stood out in 2012 for being “game changers,” pioneers and new standard bearers in the world of gastronomy, say editors of The Daily Meal.

Andrés was named American Chef of the Year, beating out other contenders and culinary stalwarts like Eric Bernardin, Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud for boasting an especially productive year.

A laundry list that highlights some of of Andrés’ accomplishments last year is, indeed, impressive.

After joining the food truck scene with the launch of Pepe, he opened a new restaurant in Miami, The Bazaar at the SLS Hotel, and reopened minibar in Washington D.C.

Andrés was also recruited by George Washington University to teach an undergraduate and graduate course “The World on a Plate: How Food Shapes Civilization,” that will examine how food and society intersect.

American cable network NBC has likewise tapped the chef to act as culinary advisor for its Hannibal Lecter series.

In between all that, the chef also found the time to sign up for the American Chef Corps, a diplomatic effort to promote American ingredients, products and cuisine abroad and continue his philanthropic efforts in Haiti where he’s filming a project that highlights the country’s gastronomy.

Andrés joins Alinea chef Grant Achatz of Chicago as The Daily Meal’s American Chef of the Year.

Meanwhile, editors also called Bottura, winner of the International Chef of the Year award, for being “one of the most innovative chefs in the world today.”