awards

James Beard Foundation Names José Andrés Its Humanitarian of the Year

José Andrés. Photo: thinkfoodgroup/Youtube

The James Beard Foundation has announced that celebrity chef José Andrés is the 2018 recipient of its James Beard Humanitarian Award. After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, Andrés and his nonprofit World Central Kitchen served 3.3 million meals to the island’s people. The chef established 23 kitchens and fed people in all 78 of the island’s municipalities, working with volunteers and fellow chefs to provide those meals. He also clashed with FEMA over aid, and used his very visible social-media platform to broadcast WCK’s efforts and the crisis in Puerto Rico. In addition to Puerto Rico, Andrés and WCK provided aid to victims of Hurricane Harvey in Houston and those of the California wildfire in 2017. It’s an award well-deserved.

José Andrés Receives 2018 James Beard Humanitarian Award