Appetite for Change

My profile of Chef Jose Andres, a delightful memoir (if you seek one), a not-so-guilty pleasure of mine, and...torpedo bats.

Readers,

And with that, we're in April.

I've been pitching stories this week and seeing the fruits of some past labor, including this cover story on chef and humanitarian Jose Andres, who not only has a memoir coming out later this month, but a cooking show with Martha Stewart too. That program, "Yes Chef!", premieres April 28 on NBC. Andres was one of those wishlist interviews of mine, so I'm grateful to my editor Kristen Desmond Lefevre for assigning this piece to me. His story, which begins below and continues at the italicized link, is proof that there are still people out there using their powers for good.

Yesterday I had a really good time catching up with a grade school classmate of mine who is now a working artist in Washington, DC. We're going to hear from him next week, and I think you'll really enjoy him and his work. He, too, is using his powers for good. Plus, he's funnnnnny.

To close: I haven't had a migraine in more than a week. Nor have I grown horns. Knock wood. The doctor thinks it's a musculoskeletal thing, so I'm headed to physical therapy to get it sorted. Aging: It's not for the faint of heart.

Anyway...thank you for joining me for another week of general interest mishmash. As always, I'm so grateful you're here.

Best,

Paige

Spanish-American chef and humanitarian José Andrés has shown just how life-changing—and unifying—a meal can be. Now he’s bringing that sensibility to the Magic City, where he’s launching a new concept restaurant: Aguasal at the red-hot Andaz Miami Beach.

If chef José Andrés has learned anything in 55 years, it’s that life can get a little messy at times. But in those messes, he says, there can be an awful lot of joy.

He’s not necessarily talking about prepping a dish and finding out a diner has a food allergy that requires him to adjust his ingredients (though it’s certain this has happened to him a few times in the nearly 40 years he has worked in kitchens). It’s more likely that he’s talking about the plates he spins in a culinary empire that includes acclaimed restaurants, a media group, an ingredient line, and the food relief not-for-profit World Central Kitchen.

“I always say there’s one José, but he has three full-time jobs,” says Sam Bakhshandehpour, global chief executive officer of José Andrés Group (JAG). “Somehow, he has 25 hours in the day, when we have 24. But we have an incredible team of talented men and women who help us grow and deliver an excellent culinary experience to various markets around the world.”

Miami’s booming restaurant industry has been part of JAG’s recent growth. The group opened Zaytinya (a Turkish, Greek, and Lebanese mezze restaurant) and DiLido Beach Bar at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach in December 2023. It continues its expansion this year with a Mediterranean-meets-Florida eatery called Aguasal, which will be located at the new Andaz Miami Beach and is on track to open this spring. Andrés notes that JAG has even more plans to become a part of the city’s rich food culture, which includes everything from food halls to Michelin-starred destinations.

“I love Miami,” says Andrés, who has traveled the world, savoring the tastes and smells of global cuisine, both home-cooked and haute. His interest in the 305 fits neatly with his long-held culinary ethos that food is a community builder and a source of love and healing...

For more on Chef Andrés's truly fascinating life, work, and the ways in which he uses his power for good, please click here for the rest of my piece, which is in this month's Aventura Magazine.

Writing prompt: José Andrés credits his mother with teaching him how to make something out of nothing. In his case, he watched her take leftovers and turn them into a tasty treat – croquetas – for him and his brothers. Now, croquetas are on the menu at his restaurants. What is one lesson your parents, or some other loved one taught you in your youth, and how does it appear in your life right now?

True happiness, we are told, consists in getting out of one’s self, but the point is not only to get out — you must stay out; and to stay out you must have some absorbing errand.

-- Henry James

Endnotes

What I'm reading

Graydon Carter's When The Going Was Good: An editor's adventures during the last golden age of magazines. If you seek delight, do yourself a favor and pick up this wonderfully written, often very funny memoir by the founding editor of Spy and former editor of Vanity Fair. One of my favorite anecdotes is about Spy's investigation into the smallest check a rich person would cash. A certain short-fingered vulgarian reportedly cashed one for 13 cents, and became co-winner of the magazine's "America's Cheapest Zillionaire" contest. The other winner? An arms dealer. Go figure. Anyway, I LOVED this book, and can't recommend it enough. It pairs well with the film "His Girl Friday."

Also...

I enjoyed this profile of 110-year-old civil rights activist Dorothy Burnham, who studied biology and hoped to become a doctor, but couldn't afford the additional schooling that would require. With her husband, she organized sit-ins, freedom rides and voter registration drives in the 1960s. After that, she was a science teacher who instilled in her students and her children the importance of education. Right now, she's the oldest person in Boston University's New England Centenarian Study, which looks at how people over age 100 have managed a long and healthy life. What seems to have helped: a low-to-no sugar diet, solid friendships across generations, and a hunger to stay curious and engaged with the world.

And...

We've heard a lot about how tariffs will impact things like car prices. But this was an interesting story about how they'll impact this family-run Canadian company that makes violin shoulder rests. "The issue for us is uncertainty," says Juliana Farha, director of the Kun Shoulder Rest Factory. "That is the toxin from my point of view." The toxin from my point of view is no one thought for an instant about how everything in the global economy is so interconnected, like even violin shoulder rests.

What I'm watching

Season 5 of "The Parisian Agency" on Netflix. I'd call it one of my guilty pleasures, but here's the thing: I never feel guilty watching this show about high-end French real estate.

What I'm judging

Those torpedo bats that the New York Yankees are using. What is a torpedo bat, you ask? It's a customized bat where more wood is concentrated on the part of the barrel where a given hitter makes contact most. The idea is that the design will lead to more (and bigger) hits and fewer misses. Five Yankees hit nine home runs using their bespoke monstrosities in a 20-9 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers last Saturday. Slugger Aaron Judge did not need the extra help; he used the standard model bat and homered four times over the course of the weekend. As a Baltimore Orioles fan, I simply loathe Judge's team, but begrudgingly respect the man for his choice of lumber. Now the whole league is talking about or quietly developing these stupid-looking cheater bats, which are apparently legal even though some of them look like large bowling pins. Why can't these big entitled babies hit with the same sticks everyone else uses? Stupid Yankees.

This shouldn't surprise me, but

A nanny in Palm Beach earns more than an engineer with a master's degree. This New Yorker story about the island's six-figure nannies and housekeepers is quite an illuminating read.

Where I hope you'll donate this week

So hey, I went to public schools, and I've mentored kids in public schools. I'm a big believer in making sure public schools have the books and resources and support they need to help kids learn, grow, and become successful individuals who can function in and contribute to society. Strange and dangerous things are happening in public education right now, so I'm hoping you'll consider making a donation to one of these groups: National Education Association, Save the Children, Room to Read, The Malala Fund, or your local library.