Episode 9 - Ellen Kaplan

In this episode, we sit down with Ellen Kaplan, VP of Marketing at José Andrés Group, to explore what it truly means to build a brand around a mission — and a man.

José Andrés Group runs 30+ restaurants spanning Michelin-starred fine dining to fast-casual, across Spanish, Greek, Peruvian, Mexican cuisines and beyond. Ellen leads the team responsible for making sure every touchpoint — from a TikTok to a table setting — tells the same story: food can change the world.

She breaks down how great hospitality marketing lives at the intersection of brand and performance, why "the return to brand" is more than a trend, and what the rise of AI means for the future of storytelling.