José Andrés: Changing the world through the power of food

The trajectory of Chef José Andrés is spectacular, not only as an internationally recognized Michelin Star culinary innovator, but as a humanitarian whose work has impacted millions of people across the planet. Twice a Time Magazine “100 Most Influential People” and a James Beard Foundation “Outstanding Chef” and “Humanitarian of the Year” awardee José Andrés is also a New York Times bestselling author, television personality and chef owner of ThinkFoodGroup which operates more than 30 restaurants in nine cities across the world.

Originally from Asturias, Spain, Andrés is a tireless advocate for immigration reform and food security. In 2010 he formed World Central Kitchen (WCK), a non-profit that provides smart solutions to end hunger and poverty by using the power of food to strengthen communities and economies.

His latest project, Restaurants for the People, is his response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This program is dedicated to tackling the current health, economic, and humanitarian crisis on two fronts: providing fresh meals to communities in need while also keeping small restaurants and food businesses open.

Today, tens of millions of Americans – the most since the Great Depression – are out of work and struggling to put food on the table for their families. Traditional safety nets like school feeding programs, city services, and food banks are up and running, but are straining under increased demand. Seniors, who are isolated for their safety, cannot access meal services.

Meanwhile, the restaurant industry, which is the nation’s second largest employer with 15.6 million workers, has suffered serious losses. Restaurants for the People provides solutions by buying meals.

“In 2010, my wife Patricia and I had a big dream to start World Central Kitchen. We envisioned an organization that would use food to empower communities and strengthen economies, and for many years we saw an amazing impact through our Clean Cookstoves initiative, culinary training programs, and social enterprise ventures. But we had no idea we would one day be answering calls in Puerto Rico and around the world to serve meals in the aftermath of disaster – and we quickly learned that food is a powerful tool to heal communities in times of crisis and beyond.

In 2020, the world changed profoundly, and our daily lives were overturned in a way none of us could have ever imagined. We activated in communities around the United States and the world to meet the daily needs of families in need of a warm plate of food – and supported thousands of local restaurants in the process. We also responded to natural and manmade disasters in five continents; from massive bushfires in Australia to a deadly explosion in Lebanon to devastating hurricanes in Central America. Our fight to feed hungry people has taken us to more places than we ever expected.

At the same time, WCK continues planting roots in the communities where we work. Our Food Producer Network is helping to create food resilience in the face of future disasters. In Haiti, aspiring chefs are obtaining the skills and confidence they need to elevate their careers and the country’s tourism sector.

We have shown that there is no place too far or a disaster too great for our chefs to be there with a hot plate of food when it’s needed most.

We envision a world where there is always a hot meal, an encouraging word, and a helping hand in hard times. Wherever there’s a fight so hungry people may eat, we will be there – we must be there” directly from restaurants and delivering them to Americans who need help. The benefits from this program echo widely throughout the national economy, including support for farmers and fishermen, cheesemakers and ranchers – as well as the shipping and distribution industries that keep our economy running. With the leadership of Jose Andres WCK has implemented this program in over 400 cities across 35 states. They have worked with more than 2,500 restaurants to serve over 12 million meals and have disbursed more than $135 million dollars directly to restaurant owners.

The FEED Act

In addition José Andrés has been working closely with members of Congress to promote a pragmatic two-sided solution to the current crisis, which resulted in the writing of the FEMA Empowering Essential Deliveries (FEED) Act. It was introduced in May 2020 with bi partisan support, and reintroduced in January 2021 with support from President- Elect Joe Biden. If successful this bill would allow the federal government, through FEMA, to pay all costs so that states can work with restaurants to provide food to vulnerable populations. The vital work that WCK’s restaurant partners are doing to feed their communities would be funded through the national government, another step forward towards recovery.

Andrés’ work has earned other awards and distinctions including the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the 2015 National Humanities Medal, one of twelve distinguished recipients of the award from the National Endowment for the Humanities. His impact on the lives of millions of volunteers, entrepreneurs, restaurant industry leaders and families across the world is undeniable. We are proud to share his mission statement for WCK in this edition.