José Andrés (right) and Sam Block, World Central Kitchen's Director of Emergency Response (Photo: National Geographic/Sebastian Lindstrom)
Cover José Andrés (right) and Sam Block, World Central Kitchen's Director of Emergency Response (Photo: National Geographic/Sebastian Lindstrom)

We Feed People by Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard spotlights chef José Andrés and his humanitarian aid organisation World Central Kitchen

Consider some of the natural disasters or humanitarian emergencies faced around the world in recent years, from 2017 Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico to 2019 Hurricane Barry in Arkansas, US, the 2020 Beirut explosion, and, most recently, the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Chef José Andrés has made his way to the frontlines of all these events, where he has been ladling out food to those in need as part of non-profit World Central Kitchen, which he founded in 2010.

The Spanish chef cut his teeth working under Ferran Adrià at El Bulli, before moving to America, where he is credited with pioneering Spanish tapas. He now has restaurants in most of the nation’s major cities, from New York and Chicago to Las Vegas, L.A. and Washington, DC, with dining concepts that range from food trucks to casual eateries to Michelin-starred fining dining restaurants, the latter including his Minibar by José Andrés.

But it is World Central Kitchen that is increasingly consuming his time. Established in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, World Central Kitchen sweeps in to deliver disaster relief to those impacted by crises and to date has served more than 60 million fresh meals. The organization also wants to ensure lasting impact through its resilience work, which focuses on strengthening food security, training chefs and cooks, driving clean cooking and ultimately building better food systems.

We Feed People, a new documentary directed by Oscar-winning American filmmaker Ron Howard, now streaming on Disney+, tells the tale of World Central Kitchen, from its humble beginnings as a grassroots group of volunteers to becoming a highly regarded aid organisation in the disaster relief sector, and looks at chef Andrés’ many journeys to frontlines around the world and his experiences on the ground.