Hi, I’m Mateo Ariza, an 11-year-old Kids Scoop Reporter. On Sunday, May 4, 2025, Live Talks LA hosted an event where Baratunde Thurston interviewed Chef José Andrés at the beautiful Japanese American Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles. They talked about the release of Chef José’s new book, Change the Recipe. I had the pleasure of meeting Chef José Andrés backstage in the green room before the event and interviewing him for KidScoop Media.
My first question was “What dish from your childhood has most influenced your cooking today? And is it on any of your menus”? To which he answered “croquetas” which are a popular type of Spanish appetizers. He shared that when he was a child, food would run short toward the end of each month so his mom would work with anything in the fridge, typically making delicious crunchy golden croquettes or as he described it from his book “croquettes were my mom’s chance to transform the very last of the leftovers into something magical”. José Andrés loves making the most delicious jamón croquetas and serves them at many of his restaurants.
My second question was “I heard that a Spanish astronaut asked you to make meals for the International Space Station. What influenced the menu choice to make the astronauts paella Valenciana? And does the space Paella taste as good as the Earth Paella”? To which he responded that paellas are a common and very popular food in Spain and that he thought it was the best meal to serve to the International Space Station. It was a challenge to create a paella recipe because NASA has very specific requirements for the food that astronauts can make in space. One funny example is that with paella on Earth, the rice grains have to separate and not clump together, but in space rice has to stick together just enough or else each individual grain of rice would go flying around and it would be a very big problem. Even though the space paella turned out delicious, according to Chef José Andrés, paella tastes better on Earth where it can get a little toasted from an open fire.
The interview was a super fun experience, and I’m really honored to have had the chance to meet and talk with Chef José Andrés. He’s kind, funny, and an awesome chef. As a Spanish American, I’m proud of the amazing work he’s doing, not just in the kitchen but also as a humanitarian through his organization, World Central Kitchen. I highly recommend his new book Change the Recipe, and I can’t wait to try the food at his newest restaurant in Culver City, Zaytinya!
Mateo Ariza, KidScoop Media Correspondent, age 11
Photo Credit – Michelle Mayans
KidScoop Media is a local non-profit that teaches young students journalism skills, and introduces them to interview subjects.