2 weeks Ago
BY Connie Lin3 minute read "I'm not going to cook for you," world-class chef and multiple-Michelin-star restaurateur José Andrés said as he took the stage at the 10th annual Fast Company Innovation Festival. "Don't get too excited." But then, he cooked.
Figuratively, that is—Andrés roasted American politics for its mangled handling of immigration in the United States. "Immigration reform has to happen," Andrés said, citing 11 million "dreamers," or children of undocumented immigrants. "Everybody is employing them everywhere, in blue and red states, and they are part of the economy.
" Subscribe to the Compass Newsletter. Fast Company's trending stories delivered to you daily Privacy Policy | Fast Company Newsletters (L-R) Amy Farley and José Andrés speak onstage during the Fast Company Innovation Festival 2024 at BMCC Tribeca PAC on September 18, 2024 in New York City. [Photo: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Fast Company] The reality is, "people are coming undocumented because the businesses need the people, but the government is not giving them the visas to do it in the right way," Andrés explained.
"If I'm opening a Spanish restaurant and I want to bring five people from Spain to help me make paella, give me a way to do that." "We [would] cut undocumented immigration by 75% overnight if we..
. Connie Lin.
