In 1993, two Washington, DC-area restaurateurs, Rob Wilder and Roberto Alvarez, convinced a 23-year old Spanish chef to come to the city to open a new Spanish concept. That chef was José Andrés and the restaurant was Jaleo, the now-iconic tapas restaurant that celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2018 and includes five locations nationwide.

With Jaleo, José introduced a new concept to many American diners: tapas. It may be hard to imagine a time before small plates took over the restaurant scene, but José and his restaurants – from Jaleo to Zaytinya to Oyamel and beyond – were early drivers of the shared plates movement.

José’s prominence and role in American and Spanish gastronomy has continued to grow ever since, from local chef to national icon embodying the true power of food in our world. Throughout the last 25 years, José and the ThinkFoodGroup team have dedicated themselves to not only creating unforgettable culinary experiences at every price point, but also giving back to their communities and the world they inhabit.