“Chefs like me feed the few, but our destiny is to feed the many. To be an army of goodness where a plate of food becomes a plate of hope…a light in dark times. Together, we can change the world through the power of food.” ~ Chef José Andrés

Since I’m a big fan of chef, restaurateur, and humanitarian José Andrés, I was happy to see both of these recently published picture books about his interesting life and amazing accomplishments.

Chef Andrés’s World Central Kitchen is truly a beacon of hope during tumultuous times of untold trauma, displacement and uncertainty due to natural and man-made disasters. Whether earthquake, hurricane, war, wildfire or pandemic, WCK is right there on the frontlines offering food, comfort, and a helping hand to local communities.

You may know that in early January, Andrés received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and that 2025 marks WCK’s 15th anniversary. Just recently, WCK provided free meals to firefighters, first responders and evacuees of the catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles via food distribution centers as well as local restaurant and food truck partners.

So how did this incredible food aid/disaster relief nonprofit get started? What first inspired Andrés to become a chef, what continues to motivate him, and what are some of his core beliefs when it comes to food?

Both books, A Plate of Hope and José Feeds the World trace José’s life from his childhood interest in cooking, to attending cooking school in Barcelona, to becoming an assistant chef at El Bulli, opening a tapas restaurant called Jaleo in Washington, D.C. (where he also volunteered at the DC Central Kitchen), to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, which motivated him to create World Central Kitchen.

When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, José and his WCK team got local people to volunteer after realizing they couldn’t do the work alone and there weren’t any other nonprofit organizations planning to feed the millions of people affected by the catastrophe.

As time passed, each new disaster presented different challenges requiring different solutions, and José found himself wanting to do more and more — establishing food distribution systems, flying in equipment to set up field kitchens, offering Meals Ready to Eat, etc. He also empowered local communities to use their skills and resources to help others as they had helped themselves.

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