How José Andrés Is Helping Amid the LA Wildfires

Spanish-born celebrity chef José Andrés received a Presidential Medal of Freedom last week. His fans around the country may love his updated takes on tapas at whimsical restaurants like Jaleo and The Bazaar, but it’s his philanthropy that’s gained him the most adoration. And in the face of disaster, Andrés isn’t one to rest on his laurels.

That’s why it’s no surprise that Andrés’s World Central Kitchen team has quickly gathered to help people impacted by the Southern California wildfires. The chef began his nonprofit in 2010 and has used it to feed those who are suffering around the world, from Israel and Palestine to Ukraine. The charity works by networking with and mobilizing chefs who are willing and able to help prepare sustenance for people who need it.

And right now, they’re in our own backyard of California, serving people affected by fire in Altadena, Malibu and large parts of Los Angeles County. Due to the powerful, 100-mile-per-hour Santa Ana winds, wildfires have been spreading rapidly. According to World Central Kitchen’s website, nearly 4,000 acres have burned thus far, and power is out for close to 200,000 local residents. 

World Central Kitchen has leapt into action to aid the roughly 30,000 evacuees who require nourishment. As of January 9, World Central Kitchen had set up five meal distribution sites for first responders and the public. They are offering free hot food at sites that run the gamut from gas stations to the Rose Bowl Stadium. 

Food trucks have been instrumental in the efforts. In Santa Monica, chef Cristian Barajas’ Gordo Hibachi fed firefighters shrimp with rice and noodles. Chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger set up their Socalo Border Grill catering truck at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium to provide meals for 600 people on the first night of service.

Just this morning, Andrés was setting up a drive-thru distribution site in Altadena, where he linked up with Dulan’s on Crenshaw and Hotville Chicken to serve vegan jambalaya and plates of chicken to displaced folks and first responders.

Andrés himself has been at the center of it all, trekking around to all kinds of outposts. “They’re heroes,” Andrés said in one Instagram video that showed him setting up with sandwiches, fruit and water at a gas station in a section of the Pacific Coast Highway identified as a staging/refueling area for first responders. “They are the best of the best, man,” he said of the firefighters.

Want to help in your own way? You can join World Central Kitchen’s Volunteer Corps to assist with sandwich and hot food preparation or delivery. If you can’t make it to California, there are countless ways to donate funds to the efforts, including starting a fundraiser.

For those who prefer to keep their donations ultra-local, the Los Angeles Food Bank is accepting both food and financial aid. You can follow the County of Los Angeles’s emergency page for updates on the wildfires, including lists of open shelters, water notices, road closures and more. For information about other places to access food if you need it, the Los Angeles Times is constantly updating a list of restaurants that are offering shelter and food.