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Key Takeaways A lesson from a renowned chef about turning unexpected moments into meaningful content.
His team built technology that reduces stress rather than adding more work to an already overloaded restaurant staff.
Consistency, humility and small daily habits are key to hospitality leadership.
This interview was originally recorded on October 14th, 2025, when Sam Bakhshandehpour was Global CEO of the José Andrés Group. He recently took a position at Bilt as President of Local Merchants.
Restaurants are built on food and operations, but they are remembered because of the stories that come out of them.
During his tenure as Global CEO of José Andrés Group, Sam Bakhshandehpour saw how one unexpected moment can travel far beyond the dining room when it captures something real.
That became clear during a Miami Food and Wine event. A massive paella pan sat over live fire when rain poured down from the sky. Everyone scattered for cover except José Andrés.
“He goes, go get the umbrellas,” Bakhshandehpour remembers in a conversation from October 2025 when he was the CEO. Andrés stayed at the pan, cooking through the downpour while the crowd slowly circled back. Champagne came out, people laughed in the rain and a messy situation turned into a shared memory.
That scene showed the group what the company does best. “We are storytellers,” Bakhshandehpour says. “We tell our stories in the dining room, with the magic from the kitchen, through our design and our marketing strategy.”
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