Jeff Bezos Donates 100 Million to Bethesda-Based Chef José Andrés

Jeff Bezos Donates 100 Million to Bethesda-Based Chef José Andrés

Right after Jeff Bezos returned from his self-founded trip to outer space, he announced that he will be awarding the “Courage and Civility Award” to Bethesda-based Chef José Andrés. Andrés Was one of the two lucky recipients. 

Each awardee gets $100 million to disperse to charities of their choosing. Andrés will channel his share into his charity, World Central Kitchen. Their mission is to feed people during times of disaster, which includes the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

(Fun Fact: one donation of $100 million is about .04% of Bezos income, with his tax write offs not taken into consideration).

Jose Andres has been proactive about the arising needs during the pandemic. In May, he offered $50 Gift Cards to those who got the COVID-19 vaccine until 70% of the U.S. is vaccinated. The gift card applies to any of his @ThinkFoodGGroup restaurants in the DC Area.

José Andrés is an active member in the community, he was selected as the MCPS graduation speaker for the class of 2020.

His newest restaurant Spanish Diner on Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda opened earlier this year. The Bethesda menu includes dishes from Asturias, the northwest region of Spain where Andrés was born. The diner serves breakfast all day and has an extensive beverage program, guided by Cocktail Innovator Miguel Lancha.