In 2010, following the earthquake that devastated Haiti, the chef José Andrés left for the Caribbean island to, through food, deliver “comfort and hope” to those whose lives have been turned upside down. Thus, World Central Kitchen (WCK) was created, a non-governmental organization, responsible for delivering more than 350 million meals to places affected by natural disasters or wars. Fourteen years since its founding and after visits to Puerto Rico, the United States and Ukraine, the team has joined forces to help the population of Gaza. This Monday, seven of its workers were killed by the Israeli Army.
Born in Asturias, Spain, José Andrés and his family left for Barcelona when the now chef he was only six years old. At age 21, he headed to the United States where he established his empire. The restaurant group he owns, ThinkFoodGroup, already has 40 restaurants named after him.
According to site of the organization, World Central Kitchen “responds to natural disasters, man-made crises and humanitarian emergencies around the world” and defines itself as “a team of food rescuers that mobilizes with the urgency of now to bring meals to people who need them most”, since “a nutritious meal in times of crisis is much more than a plate of food — it’s hope, it’s dignity and it’s a sign that someone cares.”
After the work done in Haiti, the chef traveled to Houston, Texas, hit by the hurricane Harvey and, a month later, to Puerto Rico, destroyed by the hurricane Maria. It is following these tragedies that WCK establishes itself as the “911 (112) of food aid”, as it describes itself.
Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS
However, the organization “does not respond to a fixed list of disasters or crises”, all it takes is for access to food to be interrupted for the organization’s teams to chef Spanish-American, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, head to the affected location. An example of this is the work carried out by the organization during the pandemic, where 40 million meals were distributed in more than 400 cities.
The war in Ukraine also required humanitarian workers at WCK to mobilize to distribute more than 260 million meals, both on Ukrainian territory and across the country’s borders.
With the escalation of violence in the Middle East, World Central Kitchen sent teams to Gaza, Israel and neighboring countries, to “feed any and all civilians who do not have access to food”, according to the organization’s CEO, in a statement released on October 11th. Thus, the North American NGO has been able to send humanitarian aid by land, air and sea, through partnerships with other institutions close to the ground, such as Anera, an organization that, since 1968, has worked closely with communities affected by conflicts in the region.
In December, WCK managed to establish a kitchen in Rafah — where thousands of Palestinians fled from North Gaza — to feed all those seeking refuge there. Fuel quickly became one of the most difficult to access goods in Gaza, so WCK developed specific stoves that, instead of gas, use wood, without losing efficiency and the ability to cook many meals.
A WCK It also installed more than 60 community kitchens that allow the distribution of food products to be decentralized. “These kitchens, managed by Palestinians, have the capacity to produce around 2000 meals per day”, says the NGO, which trains teams to be able to manage the kitchens and delivers trucks with food, necessary instruments and stoves.
At the beginning of February, José Andrés joined the Air Force of Jordan and the Netherlands to launch, at least air, help humanitarian.
On land, the NGO chef awarded with two Michelin stars, it has sent trucks loaded with food and water which, upon arriving in Gaza, are distributed by Anera teams, in shelters and hospitals.
It was also the World Central Kitchen that allowed, for the first time, aid to reach the enclave by sea, through the Cyprus maritime corridor, from where the ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms departed with 200 tons of food, unloaded through a pier built by the workers of the North American organization themselves.
Earlier this week, another ship from Cyprus delivered 330 tons of humanitarian aid to the population of Gaza.
After seven of its workers were killed in an Israeli Army operation, WCK suspended its activity in the Gaza Strip.
