José Andrés Credits 'Mentor' Anthony Bourdain For Inspiration Behind New Travel Show
José Andrés is committed to a mission — "to change the world through the power of food." With restaurants across the globe and the nonprofit World Central Kitchen, Andrés and his team certainly stay busy. Now, José Andrés is off to Spain with his family for a new food travel series. In this six-part documentary series, Andrés and his three daughters Carlota, Inés and Lucia will taste their way through his home country (via People).
The trailer for the show "José Andrés and Family in Spain" begins with Andrés' narration setting the scene, reports People. "Spain lives deep in my soul, and its food has made me who I am, a chef who loves to feed the world," Andrés describes. It is no accident that this profound love and appreciation of food echoes another great, Anthony Bourdain. José Andrés and the late Anthony Bourdain were close friends. Andrés calls him a "mentor" and a "poet," per People. The two even traveled together through Asturias, Spain for an episode of "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" which aired a few months after Bourdain's tragic death.
José Andrés was inspired by friend Anthony Bourdain
Both the friendship with Anthony Bourdain and his skill as a television host really had an impact on José Andrés. In an interview with People, Andrés speaks to the newness of hosting a travel show saying that he's still learning, but sometimes both he and his daughters try to "emulate" Bourdain. The family really comes into their own on screen as they explore the country, meet childhood friend's of Andrés, and of course sample tons of craveable Spanish cuisine.
When asked in an interview with Matt Goulding about his experience filming the episode of Parts Unknown with Bourdain, Andrés said that he really did not care about the show itself. He said, "The only thing I cared about was having a good time with my friend and showing him the place I love the most ... And now I feel lucky that we had cameras there" (via Explore Parts Unknown). He goes on to describe how incredible it was to see Bourdain's genuine nature and no-nonsense perspective. Profoundly, Andrés felt that in traveling together through his homeland, Bourdain revealed to Andrés truths about his country and himself that he had not realized before.
In a tribute on Twitter, Andrés said, "You only saw beauty in all people. You will always travel with me." Andrés clearly brings along the inspiration from Bourdain into his new endeavor, which premiers on December 27 on discovery+.