Chef José Andrés is taking loved ones on the road…
The 53-year-old Spanish chef and activist will be traveling with his three daughters, Carlota, 23, Inés, 21 and Lucía, 18, in his home country for the new travel show, José Andrés and Family in Spain.
The series, which premieres on Tuesday, January 2 on Discovery+, will visit such places as Barcelona, Madrid, Andalusia, Valencia, the Canary Islands and Asturias, where he was born and where the food, he says, made him who he is.
It’s a travel show, a cooking show and a parenting show, all wrapped up in a celebration of Spain and proud fatherhood.
“I think going with my dad and going to all of these places was just so special because he’s such a curious person,” Carlota Andrés says in a recent interview with her dad at The Bazaar, the elder Andrés’ rooftop bar at the The Ritz-Carlton in New York. “That’s the type of person that he is and no trip is the same if he’s not there.”
Throughout is José Andrés’ infectious and ebullient spirit, a whirlwind of passion for food and respect for where it came from. He cheers both the deconstructive brilliance of august restaurant El Bulli and also humble street food.
Tapas turns out to be a perfect reflection of his philosophy on eating — going from place to place eating many things, cold and hot, fish and meat and vegetables — and making it a celebration of ingredients, hard work and life.
“If I was the president of the world, I would make it mandatory that every person has to go around the world for a year of their lives — country to country, culture to culture, continent to continent. If we all did that, the world would be a magical place. That’s what this show celebrates,” he says.
The family hopes that the series will inspire other families to go out and explore, especially after the pandemic. “Spain is the excuse,” says José Andrés. “Sometimes we have the most exciting things in front of our eyes.”
“You can go into the Chesapeake Bay and have an amazing moment of discovery. You can go to Virginia and discover the wine country of Virginia. Everybody thinks that you have to go to the most remote parts of your world. The excitement is not in the places. The excitement is within yourself.”
