logo
EXCLUSIVE Celebrity chef weighs in on Meghan Markle's As Ever business venture... before comparing her to Melania Trump

EXCLUSIVE Celebrity chef weighs in on Meghan Markle's As Ever business venture... before comparing her to Melania Trump

Daily Mail​23-04-2025
Celebrity chef Jose Andres has weighed in on Meghan Markle's As Ever business venture - before comparing her to Melania Trump.
Despite the Duchess of Sussex being met with scathing reviews following the launch of her new lifestyle project, Andrés remains steadfast in his support.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, conducted at the City Harvest Gala in New York City, the Michelin-starred humanitarian opened up about his admiration for the mom-of-two.
'Listen, I think the work she does is great. She is great,' Andrés said passionately.
'She could be a person that goes into her own world and forgets about the real world but - what I can only say as her friend - she's a friend, but also she's there in the fire.
'She doesn't need to be out [in the public eye] but she is there.'
Discussing Markle's As Ever brand in more depth - most notably, the jam spread that has become a hotly-contested topic - Andrés fiercely defended his pal.
'It's good. It's good. It's very good,' the famed restauranteur said, having been sent a jar directly by Markle herself.
He then addressed the fierce criticism surrounding the brand, explaining: 'I don't know why it is.
'I think we should be in the moment of celebrating anytime anybody wants to do anything.
'Can be her, can be Gwyneth Paltrow, can be me, can be Eva Longoria, can be Melania Trump.
'Let's celebrate what anybody wants to do. Just forget about criticizing others.
'Everybody should be cheering up everybody that just tries to do something.'
Andrés, who founded The World Central Kitchen, explained that he and Markle - along with Prince Harry have collaborated on multiple philanthropic projects over the years.
This includes the rebuilding of a kitchen in Dominica that serves children during the school year and operates as an emergency relief hub during hurricane season.
'Quite frankly, very proud of them and very proud to call them friends,' he said.
Despite the Duchess of Sussex being met with scathing reviews following the launch of her new lifestyle project, Andrés remains steadfast in his support
And while the chef didn't reveal any upcoming collaborations with Markle, he hinted at the possibility of appearing on one of her shows someday.
'I think she has plenty of support, but I will not be surprised if one day you see me in one of her shows,' Andrés said.
Andrés himself has no shortage of things to promote - his new cookbook Change the Recipe hit shelves recently and is already climbing the bestseller charts.
He also teased a new documentary on Netflix and a cooking show with Martha Stewart on NBC, both debuting April 28.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

The summer edition of Dine LA is finally back—and here are our favorite deals
The summer edition of Dine LA is finally back—and here are our favorite deals

Time Out

time43 minutes ago

  • Time Out

The summer edition of Dine LA is finally back—and here are our favorite deals

Beginning tomorrow, Dine LA is back. Now in its 17th year, L.A.'s biggest restaurant week offers prix-fixe menus starting from $15 per person, though many places now opt to offer menus in the priciest, wide-ranging category: $65 and above. For the next two weeks, Angelenos can score a handful of small discounts at restaurants across the city, including a few of what I consider the city's best restaurants. For those who were going to splurge anyway, you can even score a two-Michelin-star meal at a $75 discount over at Mélisse in Santa Monica. For all of those hunting for an actual bargain, I've found 17 different places across Los Angeles that I'd consider a good deal, in one way or another. My personal favorites include the pair of $25 and $35 meal deals from Koreatown's Soban, home to L.A.'s best soy-marinated crab and one of the best banchan selections in the city. (Any genuine lover of Korean cuisine knows that the complimentary side dishes provided with your meal are one of the best representations of a given restaurant's true culinary capabilities.) Did I mention Soban is also one of the city's best restaurants? Another truly great option is the $65 prix-fixe menu from the Girl & the Goat in the Arts District, which includes five family-style dishes and a matcha tres leches with rhubarb-strawberry sorbet for dessert. While Top Chef alum Stephanie Izard's globally inspired small plates restaurant often gets overlooked with all the other amazing options in the destination restaurant-heavy neighborhood, the Dine LA menu might just remind you why this brick-lined, plant-filled restaurant is a great option to keep in your back pocket for your next night out in greater Downtown L.A. Until Somni reopened last November and upstaged all other restaurants in West Hollywood (it also recently got three Michelin stars!), Ardor was my top dining pick in the city-neighborhood, and it's also participating in Dine LA. The swanky hotel restaurant inside the West Hollywood EDITION offers a vegetable-forward menu within its cinematic dining room and verdant outdoor patio. The $65 prix-fixe menu nets you the eatery's signature tomato-topped milk bread, plus your choice of Spanish octopus or tandoor carrots as an appetizer. For mains, choose between skirt steak, king crab tagliatelle or Ardor's standout sweet potato curry. While I've yet to personally try the chocolate espresso torte on Ardor's Dine LA menu, I've loved every dessert I've tried at the restaurant, so it's likely a safe bet as well. Finally, I'd like to recommend bookmarking two restaurants that have yet to release their Dine LA menus: Mr. T in Hollywood and Sushi Kisen in Arcadia. Both restaurants will be offering menus in the $65 and over category. Mr. T offers République alum Alisa Vannah's rendition of modern Parisian cuisine. Co-owned by music mogul Jay-Z (whose offices are located upstairs), it's one of the best French restaurants in the city, with a gorgeous patio full of string lights and a fire pit. As for Sushi Kisen, the San Gabriel Valley sushi restaurant is one of my favorite places for sushi in L.A. County. Even on a regular day, the omakase at the counter is a relative bargain. Despite the fact it takes over an hour for me to drive there in normal traffic, I spent my birthday weekend shlepping to Arcadia for the restaurant's second anniversary kaisendon, which came topped with blue crab, ikura, sea urchin and shrimp. The set also came with a side of marinated sashimi. While Sushi Kisen has yet to publish its Dine LA menu, you can rest assured that whatever they're offering will be a steal in terms of fish quality and overall value. While it's true that the vast majority of Dine LA prix-fixe menus aren't really deals anymore, these handful of options will be more than enough to keep you happy during the summer edition. Bon appétit!

Tom Kerridge's 'easy' diet change that helped him lose 11 stone
Tom Kerridge's 'easy' diet change that helped him lose 11 stone

Daily Mirror

time4 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

Tom Kerridge's 'easy' diet change that helped him lose 11 stone

Tom Kerridge is back on our screen in his new ITV series Tom Kerridge Cooks Spain Tom Kerridge, the celebrity chef, is back on telly this Thursday evening (July 24) with a brand new ITV series that takes him on a culinary journey through Spain. ‌ The 51-year-old embarks on a road trip in northern Spain to meet local food producers who share his passion for fresh ingredients and cooking. ‌ Throughout the programme, Tom delves into Spanish cuisine and culture, cooking up a feast using local produce and offering tips on how to recreate the dishes at home. ‌ He'll discover the link between Santona and anchovies, and meet the locals, including fishermen and women who keep the town's traditions alive. Away from the limelight, Tom has made significant changes to his health in recent years due to fears about his mortality. The Michelin-starred chef, known for tantalising the nation with delicious dishes on Saturday Kitchen and Great British Menu, has now revealed the secret behind his impressive weight loss, reports Devon Live. ‌ Alongside giving up alcohol and incorporating exercise into his daily routine, Tom experienced a remarkable transformation. He has shared that his diet included eating vegetables, tinned beans and eggs, as well as cutting out sugar to curb his snacking habits. "Over three years, I lost eleven stone and devised my own low-carb diet regime built around ingredients that are known to trigger the release of dopamine, the 'happy hormone' in your brain," Tom previously shared on his website. ‌ He continued: "If you're struggling with your weight and need to shift unhealthy pounds, this approach makes it easy, and is guaranteed to make you feel happier in the process." The life-altering transformation has prompted the celebrity chef to encourage families to dedicate more time to preparing nutritious home-cooked meals. ‌ Tom has pointed to his own remarkable 11-stone weight loss as motivation for others looking to drop the pounds, achieving his results through a straightforward dietary adjustment. The Gloucester-born chef, who previously admitted to beginning drinking sessions with a pint of Negroni cocktail before consuming 15 pints on an ordinary evening, chose to give up alcohol at 40 or risk not making it to 50. ‌ He told The Mirror in 2020: "I stopped drinking all by myself. I knew what I wanted to do and then I got on with it. It was all about mental strength. "I have an addictive personality. People ask me whether I'm an alcoholic, but I think it could have been anything, it's just that alcohol was the thing I found. Maybe I am an alcoholic, I don't know." Tom added: "Some days are really, really hard and some days are easy. Most of the time it's not relevant in my life. I channel all that old drinking energy into work now." ‌ Speaking recently to Lisa Snowdon and Andy Goldstein on the We're Not Getting Any Younger podcast, Tom looked back on his choice to quit drinking more than a decade ago due to health concerns. Offering a candid glimpse into his personal life, the 51 year old explained that his terror of perishing before reaching 50 prompted him to make the dramatic choice to give up booze entirely. He explained: "I'm absolutely loving the way that I'm living but I can't (carry on). It is going to end and it will all end really really badly, so I just stopped." Alongside his television fame, Tom has also built a thriving empire with his string of eateries.

The best bar in London for a first date, according to bartending experts
The best bar in London for a first date, according to bartending experts

Time Out

time8 hours ago

  • Time Out

The best bar in London for a first date, according to bartending experts

When choosing a bar for a first date, it has to be perfect. Said drinkery shouldn't be too loud, or too ostentatious, and it ideally will provide some sort of distraction if things aren't going so well. Luckily, London has myriad cosy wine bars, romantic nooks and quirky drinking dens that will give you plenty of things to talk about should you and your date run out of conversation (it happens!). But which of these sultry spots is the best? Time Out asked industry experts including Lyaness ' Mr Lyan, Max Venning of Three Sheets, and co-owners of Rita's Missy Flynn and Gabriel Pryce, to recommend their favourite bars in the city, so that in turn we could come up with the definitive ranking of the best drinking spots for date night. Here's what they said. According to the experts, London's best bar for a first date is Three Sheets Soho. Three Sheets Soho is the second outpost of the Dalston-based cocktail bar, and opened last year. 'Three Sheets Soho is chic, buzzy and welcoming,' said Coral Anderson, managing director of Swift, a cocktail bar with branches in Soho, London Bridge and Borough. 'You will never walk in and find it dead. The seating is perfect for two people, even if it's at the bar.' Anderson recommended ordering the salted plum highball, and if you're feeling fancy 'you can get the best value glass of Dom Perignon in London'. 'Three Sheets has a little bit of everything for everyone,' said Monica Berg, co-owner of Tayēr + Elementary. 'It's a good all-rounder in a central London location. It's not too loud so it's easy to have a chat. 'It's very welcoming and relaxed, but at the same time signals that you're making an effort. 'I always start with the French 75.' Runners up included listening bar Mu in Dalston, shouted out by Carina Soto Velásquez, co-owner of Equal Parts; wine bar Bruno in Victoria Park, recommended by Exale Brewing's Stephanie Randle-Solley; Quality Wines in Farringdon, approved by Missy and Gabriel of Rita's; and 42 – the in-house cocktail bar at Michelin star restaurant Gymkhana in Mayfair, nominated by Mr Lyan, particularly for its human-sized paintings of cats. The best bars in London for 2025.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store