Cooking danger in the eyes
The Story
When celebrity chef José Andrés accepted a $100m award from Jeff Bezos last summer, he said he would use the money to advance the work of his nonprofit World Central Kitchen.
What does the nonprofit do?
The World Central Kitchen aides in areas around the globe affected by natural disasters, setting up community kitchens that feed victims. Andrés spoke of expanding his organization’s mission by thinking “beyond the next hurricane to the bigger challenges we face.”
What bigger challenges?
That bigger challenge came when Russia invaded Ukraine, and Andrés, volunteers, and communities came together to feed Ukrainian refugees on the Polish border. Andrés said his WCK would enter Ukraine when it was safe to do so; meanwhile, they were partnering with restaurants inside the war-torn country. Not even a missile strike would deter them.
Did you mean a potential missile strike?
No, they’ve been hit already. On Saturday, Russian missiles rained down on a WCK restaurant in Kharkiv, wounding four workers and destroying the restaurant. Andrés tweeted an update Sunday, saying the injured were fine and “everyone is ready and willing to start cooking in another location.” He ended with, “Many ways to fight, we do it with food!”
