Chef José Andrés Is Embracing The Chaos

Thanksgiving is a time where we are implored to think about the hungry, and the need to address the issue is urgent: 1 in 8 Americans reported last week that they sometimes or often go without enough food. We hope the most recent Highline article will also help you think about hunger: Why does it continue to exist? Why do we so persistently fail to connect abundantly available food with the people who need it most?

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Chef José Andrés has been thinking about these problems for a long time. As the founder of World Central Kitchen, Andrés challenged traditional models of humanitarian aid, using local labor and local ingredients to get fast, cheap and delicious meals to disaster victims. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck and millions of restaurant workers were suddenly unemployed, Andrés went into high gear: keeping kitchens open to feed a rising wave of hungry Americans. Reading Jane Black’s sensitive, wide-ranging profile (alongside Luis Mazón’s delightful illustrations), I marveled at Andrés’ relentless grit and ingenuity. But I also wondered why it has come to this. As Black puts it: “That a sizable number of Americans now depend on a celebrity-chef-turned-gonzo-humanitarian for food or even their livelihood is, when you think about it, both inspiring and more than a little insane.”

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I hope you can find time this holiday to read and share this important article—and that you and yours are having a safe and restful Thanksgiving.

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Yours,

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Richard Kim

Enterprise Director

HuffPost

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