José Andrés’s Nonprofit Served Thousands in California and Puerto Rico This Weekend

Chef José Andrés is ramping up efforts to feed first responders and evacuees as wildfires blaze across Southern California for the eighth day. Last week, his nonprofit World Central Kitchen teamed up with the L.A. Kitchen to deliver meals to those in need. And on Friday, Andrés officially called for World Central Kitchen’s chef network to help out in California. The chef even debuted a new hashtag to identify the movement: #ChefsforCalifornia.

Over the weekend, World Central Kitchen and the L.A. Kitchen worked together to make roasted potatoes and salad with blueberry dressing, among other items, for first responders. On Saturday, the two nonprofits delivered 1,000 lunches and prepared a dinner of chili with vegetables, salad, and bread for 1,000 firefighters.

That same day, World Central Kitchen activated its second kitchen with local chefs, a strategy that enabled the organization to serve more than three million meals in Puerto Rico. The Ventura kitchen, located at Mission San Buenaventura, is serving first responders and evacuees from the Thomas fire, one of a few wildfires in the region. Yesterday, volunteers prepared meals at this kitchen and the L.A. Kitchen’s headquarters to be delivered “from Ventura to Santa Barbara.”

Meanwhile, World Central Kitchen is still in Puerto Rico, months after arriving in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Volunteer chefs delivered 20,000 meals on Friday and Saturday. And on Sunday, according World Central Kitchen staffer Erin Schrode, the team responded to a request for “200 healthy meals to fuel cancer patient recovery,” in keeping with the group’s recent mission to target populations with the greatest need.

World Central Kitchen wasn’t always about disaster relief, but with this latest effort in California, it’s clear that they know how to respond to these life-altering events.

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