Chefs To The Rescue

Food heals no matter what the problem. It comforts. It nourishes. It gives strength in hard times. No one knows this better than chefs. No one can stop them - not even a hurricane named Maria.

Kim Severson wrote about this amazing cadre of cooks in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Maria devastated the entire island of Puerto Rico and unfortunately that devastation is still there. Many not only lost power but also their homes and that means kitchens too.Even the hotels couldn;t help out. They too were in the path of the hurricane,. Thankfully Chef Jose Andre, a Spanish born chef and giant in the culinary world. stepped in and created  chains of pop up kitchens everywhere, from big cities to mountain villages. He came right after the storm and hasn't left. He was so devoted that he over worked himself and suffered dehydration. Thanks to him , food,  - warm meals and sandwiches were given out to the population,This was more than even the Red Cross and Salvation Army did. He went to food distributors and bought up everything they had. He bought every aluminum pan he could get his hands on. He and his crew started out with the classic Puerto Rican stew sancocho. It fed everyone, from tireless medical workers to those just waiting on line for gas. Even the salvation Army came up to him and asked for 120 meals.

Chef Andre is not new to giving or natural disasters. Back in 2011, he went to help out in Haiti after their earthquake. A year later he was in Houston, wanting to know how to expand the scope of World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding those who need food relief. He worked with the organization;'s executive director, Brian MacNair. to add emergency food relief to an agenda that includes building school kitchens and organizing culinary training.  This worked when Hurricane Irma hit FLorida. A manual was quickly written up showing chefs in Miami what to do to sixteen days before Irma hit. It was like a mis en place for disaster. Kitchens and chefs aiding those in need is nothing new. After 9/11. many restaurants near the World Trade Towers devoted their time and effort as well as food to the emergency workers. Competitive chef , Cat Cora started Chefs For humanity after the Sumatra earthquake and there was a contingent of barbecue chefs that headed to help out in Joplin, Missouri,after the 2010 tornadoes.

Chefs , like Chef. Andre set the tone for cuisine. Yet they also help in feeding those who  need it.They are more than just cooks, they're the healers and nourishers  - the hero s who feed and also lead too.