José Andrés Talks Vegetable-Centric 'Beefsteak' Concept

In early 2015, Washington, D.C.-based chef and restaurateur José Andrés will begin opening a series of fast-casual restaurants, as part of a continued effort from the chef to tackle global hunger on a more massive scale. Andrés will launch a vegetable-centric, fast-casual concept he has playfully named "Beefsteak," after the tomato varietal.

The first location of Beefsteak will be on the George Washington University campus, where Andrés has taught a food course, and where he served as the commencement speaker for the class of 2014.

"I'd prefer to have the army of great chefs we have in America opening multiple restaurants," the chef told The Washington Post. "More than the McDonald's and Burger Kings of the world opening restaurants."

This week, on Wednesday, October 15, Andrés joined The Washington Post for a live Q&A session to talk about giving vegetables their due, promise access to secret recipes, and help the vegetable-phobic.

One attendee asked, "My father's diet is burgers, fries, steak, and pizza. I want to introduce him to a few of your vegetable dishes without scaring him. What one or two dishes can turn this veggie-phobe into a convert? Thanks!"

To which Andrés replied, "You should find a new father! I joke... if he watches football during the football he will not be paying attention to what he is eating. Make sure he has a beer in his hand and then you attack! My mother used to make me cauliflower which she would boil and then deep fry with egg and flour. And then maybe you can top it with your favorite BBQ sauce. The key is not to over boil it. By the time his team scores the first goal, he will be in love with cauliflower."

Read the full chat transcript on The Washington Post.

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Karen Lo is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @appleplexy.