The boldfacers are pals, a spokeswoman says. “It was one of those things where we started sending out e-mails — and everyone got on board.”
“We were just really fortunate that everyone was interested in participating.”
Andres befriended some of the celebs — like Paltrow, whose home he’s cooked in — through mutual foodie friends. Others he met through charitable work, like Dillon, who the chef met on an Amtrak train on the way to a Refugees International event, where Dillon was the emcee (guess they weren’t on the quiet car).
And though he has celebs on his contact list, Spanish-born Andres typically played it humble during the commencement speech, referring to himself as just a “cook” who got a shot at the American dream. His advice to the grads was to embrace hard work and to stay flexible. “Don’t use a recipe…if things don’t go as expected, make the unexpected work in your favor,” he told them “Change the name of the dish.”
Note: Sam Waterston’s name was misspelled in an earlier version.