Nov 14, 2016 · 27m · how-i-built-this
Celebrity Chef: José Andrés
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gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions
In this episode of NPR's How I Built This, host Guy Raz interviews celebrity chef José Andrés about his journey from childhood cookouts in Spain and avant-garde training at El Bulli to pioneering the small-plates tapas revolution across the United States. Andrés reflects on his immigrant beginnings, collaborative leadership, and the essential business acumen required to build and sustain a dynamic culinary empire.
How this conversation actually went
Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Guy holds 32% of the talking time here. How this is scored →
Guy as informed peer 2.4 Guest teaching 3.5 Guest disagreement 1.0 Guy pushing back 0.3
speaking balance: gold is Guy, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 6:56 Reframing luck and passivity
Andres rejects Raz's framing that joining El Bulli was sheer luck, lecturing that luck only happens when one actively moves and searches rather than waiting at home.
Hardest push from Guy ▶ 19:25 Challenging the economics of small platesRaz pushes Andres to address whether introducing tapas in DC was driven by profit margins and extracting more revenue per table.
Biggest teaching moment ▶ 2:35 The fundamental lesson of controlling fireAndres recounts his father's profound culinary lesson that mastering the fire is the foundational skill required to cook anything in life.
Guy holds their own ▶ 13:01 Contextualizing the 1993 US dining landscapeRaz demonstrates his knowledge of 1990s American food culture to press Andres on the difficulty of selling unfamiliar Spanish cuisine.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
| Chapter | Topic | Guy as informed peer | Guest teaching | Guest disagreement | Guy pushing back | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Childhood Paella and Learning to Control the Fire | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Guy Raz sets up standard biographical prompts about Andres's childhood and early kitchen apprenticeships. Andres shares formative wisdom from his father about controlling fire being the true essence of cooking. | |
| Chance Meeting with Ferran Adrià and the Philosophy of Luck | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | When Raz attributes Andres landing a spot at El Bulli to pure luck, Andres politely pushes back with his philosophy that luck only comes to those actively moving. Andres then details Ferran Adria's experimental mindset. | |
| Spanish Navy Service and Unexpected Departure for America | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Raz asks straightforward questions about mandatory military service and Andres's arrival in New York. Andres recounts his humorous first impressions of Gotham-like Manhattan. | |
| Leaving New York, Richard Melman's Advice, and Founding Jaleo | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Raz demonstrates historical knowledge of the DC dining landscape in the early nineties, asking how Andres knew Spanish cuisine could succeed. Andres educates Raz on tapas as a cultural way of life rather than just a culinary format. | |
| Mid-Episode Station Break and Upcoming Discussion Preview | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Raz asks about Andres managing diners who refused to share plates and leading a kitchen at age twenty-three. Andres explains his practical 20-inch plate rule and the necessity of partnership. | |
| The ThinkFoodTank and the Chef as Orchestra Conductor | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | Raz probes into the financial calculation behind small plates. Andres challenges the simplistic economic premise, noting small plates require far more kitchen labor before expanding into eating as a form of democracy. | |
| Advice for Aspiring Chefs and the Importance of Business Literacy | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Raz asks about career reflections and advice for young entrepreneurs. Andres emphasizes the critical necessity of business literacy and contrasts the permanence of radio with the ephemeral nature of food. | |
| Episode Credits, Social Channels, and Production Acknowledgments | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | The segment comprises standard show credits, a listener innovation submission about a garbage can fly trap, and cross-promotional housekeeping. |
Statements from this episode (12)
Andrés: Mastering Fire Control Is the Foundation of Great Cooking
“Cooking itself, it's easy. If somebody's controlling the fire, you want to be a great cook, be in charge of the fire, then you will be able to cook whatever you want in life.”
José Andrés failed cooking, English, and accounting in culinary school
“I never graduated. They gave me the diploma last year, almost 30 years later, and I fell cooking, English, and accounting.”
José Andrés: El Bulli set the bar for gastronomy over 30 years
“Almost over the last 30 years has set the bar of what cooking and what's the future of gastronomy.”
José Andrés arrived in New York with about 50 dollars
“I had, like, 50 bucks in, in my pocket. I was going to 50th street between Lexington and third, and the driver dropped me in 193 between eighth and ninth.”
José Andrés: Jaleo Differentiated Itself via Long Menus and Shared Plates
“What Haleo did that was very different from the Spanish cooking that was happening before, especially restaurants in Florida and New York with big Spanish populations, what we did was that we had a very long menu and where we were really telling people that sh…”
José Andrés: The difference between tapas and individual dining is twenty inches
“Tapas versus no tapas is only 20 inches. If you want to do tapas, you put the plate in the middle of the table, and people know that that's the signal to share. If you don't want to do tapas, people, move your plate 20 inches towards you.”
Andrés: Mixing family, friendship, and business creates powerful long-term partnerships
“It is good that you are able to very early on in your life, to surround yourself with people you want to be with for many years ahead. Not only for family, not only for friendship, but also for business. And if you can mix the three, it's even more wonderful.”
Andrés: ThinkFoodGroup employs an 8-to-12 person dedicated R&D team
“In my thin food group, we have what we call the thin food tank. That's my creative arm, and for me, creating that arm of eight, nine, 10, 11, 12 individuals, That the only thing they do is thinking, creating, and maintaining quality is a very powerful research…”
Serving 3,000 small plates requires more kitchen labor than large plates
“I can tell you work harder when you have to put out 3000 small plates in one service than 1000 big plates. It's more work.”
José Andrés: Consumer food choices are an amazing form of democracy
“Because today, the way we eat is an amazing form of democracy. Because by what you eat, you are voting about the things you think should be, not only on your plate, but in the plates of many others. So we all need to start thinking that you can vote with your …”
José Andrés: Every creative professional ultimately works for themselves
“You can be anything you want, and you will always work for yourself. I don't care if you wanna be Painting in the middle of the streets of Washington DC. I don't care if you want to be singing with a rose in Fifth Avenue. I don't care what's the crazy business…”