Who is José Andrés, the Spanish chef founder of World Central Kitchen who was attacked in Gaza?

A new attack on Gaza claimed the lives of seven NGO workers: it is the World Central Kitchen from the renowned Spanish chef Jose Andres, who has played an important role in introducing Spanish cuisine to American diners and has expanded his work into philanthropy, using his platform to help affected populations around the world.

The prime minister of IsraelBenjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that Israeli forces had carried out the “involuntary attack” against “innocent people in the Gaza Strip,” which included workers from this organization, which has now had to suspend the distribution of food aid in the Gaza Strip. area besieged by the forces of the State of Israel.

Who is José Andrés, the philanthropic chef who founded World Central Kitchen?

José Andrés is the founder of World Central Kitchen, an organization that focuses on providing meals in disaster and war zones and which, according to CNN, has served more than 35 million meals in Gaza since the escalation of the conflict last October 2023.

The chef said World Central Kitchen would build a dock with material and infrastructure in Gaza with the help of barges and amphibious vehicles to receive humanitarian assistance on ships. According to the chef, the dock would be built “with @openarms_fund serving as our logistics and command on the water… bringing the initial barge close to the beach… plus a large cargo ship for reloading.”

The native of Asturias created World Central Kitchen in 2010 “as a means to feed the majority, using culinary training programs to empower communities and strengthen economies, as well as disaster food relief after emergencies around the world,” he says in his page.

José Ramón Andrés Puerta was awarded Humanitarian of the Year in 2018 by the James Beard Foundation and TIME magazine included him on the list of the 100 most influential people in 2012 and 2018.

In recent years, the chef has served in different crises around the world through World Central Kitchen. For example, after the earthquake that devastated Haiti, in 2010; Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico, in 2017; the forest fires that devastated southern Californiain 2018, and with the refugee crisis on the border with Venezuelaquickly mobilized volunteer chefs at each of those locations to prepare meals for thousands of people in need.