In the community formed by catastrophe,
José Andrés sees a way to serve By Sean GregoryA CHEF’S
MISSION
Not maNy people were gettiNg oN airplaNes iN the U.s. oN
March 12, and even fewer were heading for the Grand Princess cruise ship.
COVID-19 was discovered among the ship’s 2,400 passengers after it set
sail from Hawaii, making the vessel about as popular as the Flying Dutch-
man; the Grand Princess had to loiter off the California coast for days be-
fore being given permission to berth.
But here was José Andrés, marching down an air bridge in Newark, N.J.,
for a 6:30 a.m. flight to San Francisco. His beige, many-pocketed vest and
matching cap put out a vaguely fisherman vibe, but anyone who placed
Andrés—he’s a celebrity chef—might also recognize the gear he changes
into when he’s racing to the scene of disaster. The flight was long, and
there was plenty of time to contemplate the dimensions of the catastro-
phe already silently spreading across the country below.
“I feel like if something major happens, the America we see from this
window.. .” he says, trailing off as he looks out over the Rocky Mountains.
He had mentioned the shortages of surgical masks and corona virus t ests,
and now let the next thought remain unspoken. “This is like a movie,
man. Maybe we’re overreacting. But it’s O.K. to overreact in this case.”
Andrés’ rapidly expanding charity, World Central Kitchen, is as pre-
pared as anyone for this moment of unprecedented global crisis. The non-
profit stands up field kitchens to feed thousands of people fresh, nour-
ishing, often hot meals as soon as possible at the scene of a hurricane,
earthquake, tornado or flood. As a global public-health emergency, COVID->
Andrés has won
James Beard
Foundation honors
as outstanding chef
and humanitarianPHOTOGRAPH BY MARTIN SCHOELLER FOR TIME
UWR.Jose.indd 68 3/25/20 6:03 PM