Michelin-star chef helps feed refugees from Ukraine

• Michelin-star chef José Andrés is providing meals to refugees from Ukraine.
• Together with his foundation, World Central Kitchen, he distributes meals at the border of Poland and Ukraine.
• They have since expanded their efforts to Moldova and Romania.

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The number of refugees from Ukraine has quickly increased to over 2 million since the invasion began on Feb. 24, according to Filippo Grandi, the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees.

Ukrainians and other foreign residents braved dangerous environments to cross to neighboring countries, such as Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, and Moldova.

Michelin-star chef José Andrés decided to offer his help once more by providing warm food at the border.

Reporting in from Hrebenne in Poland right on the border! This road goes to Lviv in Ukraine & @WCKitchen has been serving meals to people waiting to cross from there…On this side volunteer firefighters are cooking for refugees. Amazing to see the support here! #ChefsForUkraine pic.twitter.com/Aw01GS05dN— José Andrés 🇺🇸🇪🇸🇺🇦 (@chefjoseandres) February 28, 2022

The chef is also known for founding World Central Kitchen after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Since then, he and his team have helped out at other disaster sites.

In 2017, he helped distribute over 3.4 million meals in Puerto Rico after the devastation left behind by Hurricane Maria. In 2019, he opened a pop-up kitchen to serve meals to 11,400 furloughed workers in Washington, DC, during the government shutdown. During the pandemic, he provided 840,000 meals to Indian hospital workers.

Now, the kind-hearted chef and his team are stationed at the border of Poland and Ukraine. They distributed around 4,000 meals over 18 hours to refugees seeking solace in Medyka, Poland, on Feb. 28, mere days after the invasion started.

The World Central Kitchen has also expanded to Moldova and Romania, where they serve Ukrainian refugees hearty meals like chicken soup, baked chicken over pasta, and pilaf with sausage.

WCK has expanded our #ChefsForUkraine response into Romania! Working with restaurants like Marinela in Ștefănești, we’re serving hot, fresh meals to families at a local community center. Today Marinela made chicken soup, pilaf with sausage, and chicken with polenta. pic.twitter.com/mJ4xBCXmj4— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) March 1, 2022

With the influx of refugees trying to cross the border, hundreds have to wait hours and even days to get across.

According to UNHCR field staff, some refugees have to wait up to 60 hours to enter Poland and 20 hours to enter Romania.

Chef Andrés got emotional when he described seeing women and children walking in freezing temperatures, while men who reached the border had to turn back to join Ukraine’s defense forces. 

“Why do we put young men and women in this situation? We didn’t learn enough from the horrors of the past?” he asked. “People, we need to speak up against leaders that are breaking us apart.”

We are all Ukrainians right now 🇺🇦 It’s been a long day…but before I go to sleep here’s my message to you… #ChefsForUkraine pic.twitter.com/cumv3NwfUF— José Andrés🇺🇦 (@chefjoseandres) March 1, 2022

One of the chef’s restaurants, minibar by José Andrés in Washington, DC., has two Michelin stars. His restaurant chain has over two dozen restaurants across America.

If you would like to help, consider donating to World Central Kitchen.

Source: Insider