Andres + Ridgewells = Big Food

Two of the best-known food brands in the area -- chef Jose Andres and Ridgewells -- are teaming up to bring Spanish, Mexican and Mediterranean flavors to a wider audience, both parties announced this week.

The partnership, called Jose Andres Catering with Ridgewells, takes advantage of the popularity of Andres’s menus at Jaleo, Oyamel and Zaytinya restaurants and the muscle and experience of the 82-year-old catering company, which is based in Bethesda and recently fed as many as 11,000 cocktail revelers at once.

The arrangement also solves a problem for the Spanish chef, who says he gets hundreds of requests a year to cater food from his sundry restaurants but until now lacked the proper support. “I’m not in the business of saying no,” says Andres. Beginning next month, customers will be able to choose from menus featuring the aforementioned cuisines plus the celebrity chef’s more experimental ideas from the exclusive Minibar. The last option is billed as “Jose Andres’ Way.”

Does this mean we’ll be seeing foie gras lollipops in clouds of cotton candy at future parties? Possibly. To prepare for the union, Ridgewells purchased a cotton candy machine, as well as seven-foot-wide paella pans and mini-fryers, allows the company’s principal and chief executive, Susan Lacz.

-- Tom Sietsema