|
José Ramón Andrés Puerta (Chef Andrés) is a Spanish-American chef and founder of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a non-profit devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. Chef Andrés is often credited with bringing the small plates dining concept to America. He owns several restaurants in the United States.
In May 2014, Chef Andrés received an honorary doctorate degree in public service from George Washington University, and served as the university's commencement speaker at the National Mall the same year.
In 2015, President Barack Obama appointed Chef Andrés as an ambassador for citizenship and naturalization.
In May 2018, Chef Andrés received an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from Tufts University and served as the commencement speaker for the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
In 2018, Chef Andrés was named a Nobel Peace Prize nominee for his humanitarian work.
Chef Andrés planned to open a restaurant in the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, in 2016. After Trump made disparaging comments about Mexicans in June 2015, Andrés withdrew from the contract with the Trump Organization, which then sued him. Chef Andrés counter-sued, and the parties reached a settlement in April 2017. Chef Andrés remains an outspoken critic of Trump.
In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Chef Andrés formed World Central Kitchen to provide healthy food to people affected by disasters. In 2017 Chef Andrés emerged as a inspiring leader of the disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. His wonderful efforts to provide assistance encountered obstacles from FEMA and government bureaucrats, so instead he said, "we just started cooking."
He organized a grass-roots movement of chefs and volunteers to establish communications, food supplies, and other resources and then started serving meals. World Central Kitchen (WCK) served more than two million meals in the first month after the hurricane. WCK received two short-term FEMA contracts and served more meals than the Salvation Army or the Red Cross, but its application for longer-term support was denied.
Four days after Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Carolina, WCK served 80,000 meals to evacuees and local emergency response teams.
#ChefsForFeds
In December 2018 when the Border Wall Shutdown began, Chef Andrés announced he would provide free food to federal government employees and their families. WCK managed #ChefsForFeds and served hot meals daily to federal workers, along with meals for workers to take home to their families. On January 23, 2019 alone, they served 11,400 meals.
WCK has provided millions of hot meals to people struck by disaster, including survivors of Hurricane Florence, first responders in the California wildfires, volcano victims in Guatemala, migrants in Tijuana, and millions of Puerto Ricans who were left with nothing after Hurricane Maria.
2020 COVID-19: WCK has a dual focus, both on finding employment for restaurant workers, and feeding people in need. In 2020, Chef Andrés launched numerous COVID-19 related programs in the United States and Spain, and the list is growing.
#ChefsForFeds
In December 2018 when the Border Wall Shutdown began, Chef and humanitarian
José Andrés announced that he would provide free food to federal government
employees and their families. His nonprofit World Central Kitchen (WCK) managed
#ChefsForFeds, serving hot meals daily to federal workers, along with meals for
workers to take home to their families. On January 23, 2019 alone, they served
11,400 meals.
While the shutdown has temporarily ended, WCK will operate #ChefsForFeds Across the
Nation through at least February 1, 2019 as workers recover and await back pay.
Free lunches will be sent each day directly to locations such as the FBI and the
National Zoo.
World Central Kitchen has provided millions of hot meals to people struck by disaster,
including survivors of Hurricane Florence, first responders in the California wildfires,
volcano victims in Guatemala, migrants in Tijuana, and millions of Puerto Ricans who
were left with nothing after Hurricane Maria.
|
