How did a Spanish chef gain a hotline to the White House?

Jose Andres sends cooks into disaster zones. He has led a backlash over Gaza against Netanyahu that no protest or politician could have matched

Jose Andres is perhaps the most influential Spaniard in the world right now. After the Israeli drone strike that killed seven people who worked for his non-profit World Central Kitchen (WCK) in Gaza earlier this month, Andres's criticism of Israel has carried more weight and garnered more attention than any statement from a Spanish or other European political figure could.

It may seem strange that a chef raised in a former mining town in northern Spain who moved to New York as a 21-year-old with little money appears to wield such clout. But Andres is no ordinary celebrity chef.

Maria Ramirez is a journalist and deputy managing editor of elDiario.es, a news outlet in Spain

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