The eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma has left a bleak panorama on the island. The lava tongue has washed away hundreds of homes, and thousands of people have lost their homes and farmland. Although the predominant feelings are anguish and sadness, solidarity is playing a key role. The well-known chef José Andrés has traveled from the US to La Palma to provide food assistance to those affected by the disaster.
Biography and chef José Andrés
Born on July 13, 1969 in Mieres (Asturias), he is a Spanish chef who has been nationalized from the United States since 2013 . From a very young age he adored cooking, and when he was barely 15 years old, he entered the Barcelona School of Catering and Hospitality.
When he finished his professional studies, at the age of 21, he left for the United States. There he worked as a cook at the Paradis Barcelona restaurant in New York . After several years in the ‘Big Apple’, he moved to Washington, where he continues to live today.
Humanitarian work
In 2010 he founded the NGO ‘World Central Kitchen’ . Since then, thanks to the work of chef José Andrés and that of thousands of volunteers, they have helped millions of people during different humanitarian crises in Haiti, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Mexico, Mozambique, Colombia …
In January 2010 an earthquake shook the island of Haiti. Chef José Andrés, accompanied by his friend Manolo Vílchez, set up solar cookers and for days fed thousands of people . It was the first solidarity action of ‘World Central Kitchen’.
In 2017, Hurricane María completely devastated Puerto Rico, leaving the island without power. The Spanish chef and hundreds of volunteers traveled there and each day they prepared food for more than 5,000 people .
Acknowledgments
In 2015 he won the National Medal of Humanity and ‘Time’ magazine has named him one of the “100 most influential people in the world” in 2012 and 2018.
To this we must add that José Andrés has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on two occasions (2018 and 2019).
In 2020 he was awarded the ‘Basque Culinary World Prize’ for «providing a global and collaborative response from gastronomy to one of the most pressing global challenges of today with his collective project to face the situation caused by COVID- 19 “ , according to the organization.
This 2021 he has been awarded the “Princess of Asturias de la Concordia” award for his great humanitarian work .
People of the World! Reporting in from La Palma…where the volcano eruption has destroyed hundreds of homes & forced thousands to evacuate 🌋 You can see the lava behind me…We @WCKitchen are here cooking meals for the community & first responders—and will stay as long as needed! pic.twitter.com/nBTKAy7bmZ
— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) September 23, 2021
