Best Leaders 2025: José Andrés

When Michelin-starred chef-restaurateur José Andrés travelled to Haiti after a 2010 earthquake there, he wanted to be of service to those affected by the disaster, doing what he did best – cooking meals. He got right to work in one of the survivors’ tent camps, preparing a bean stew. When some women approached him to apologetically say they preferred a local way of cooking beans, the celebrity chef was initially taken aback, since he thought he’d made an amazing meal.

“What I learned that day was that we must listen, especially when we’re trying to help the people of the world. We cannot impose what we think they should do. We need to listen to what they need from us,” Andrés shared with U.S. News & World Report.

An internationally acclaimed “Iron Chef,” Andrés’s plate was already full – with restaurants he owns, books to write, reality shows to star in and more. But soon after he returned from Haiti, Andrés and his wife Patricia began World Central Kitchen (WCK), a nonprofit charity.