José Andrés Wants to Serve 100,000 Meals in Puerto Rico By the End of the Week

Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Maria decimated Puerto Rico, hero chef José Andrés is still on the island to feed residents who have been left without electricity and agriculture likely for months to come. Eater has been following along with the chef’s frequent Twitter updates. The latest: Andrés has moved his main operation to the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, the island’s largest stadium, in an effort to feed more people.

When he arrived last week, Andrés and his nonprofit World Central Kitchen worked out of chef Jose Enrique’s restaurant kitchen in San Juan, but since then, Andrés has coordinated a larger scale effort that includes mobilizing volunteers to make and deliver thousands of sandwiches, activating food trucks, and traveling to Cataño and Ponce to cook and serve hot meals, like arroz con pollo.

Those efforts have paid off. Yesterday, Andrés served 20,000 meals, for a total of 50,000 over the past week, according to a statement from World Central Kitchen. In a Twitter video, Andrés announced his hope to serve 100,000 meals by the end of the week. Today, Andrés is planning to serve 8,000 people from his new home base at the Coliseo.

Last night, Andrés met with Puerto Rico’s secretary of education to discuss using school kitchens to serve hot meals across Puerto Rico, and World Central Kitchen is sending more #ChefsForPuertoRico to manage kitchens in other areas of the island, including Cataño and Ponce. As Andrés continues to spread the word on Twitter, World Central Kitchen is asking for donations to fund food, fuel, and chef travel.

• @chefjoseandres [Twitter]
• José Andrés Is Feeding Thousands in Puerto Rico [E]
• José Andrés Flew to Puerto Rico to Cook for Hurricane Maria Victims [E]