Culture

José Andrés Is Heading Back To Puerto Rico Soon

José Andrés Wikimedia / USDA photo by Bob Nichols
Elizabeth Licata|

José Andrés has become the face of disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico. He arrived in the U.S. territory on September 25, and since then he and his nonprofit, World Central Kitchen, have served over two million meals. Those efforts are far from over, and the chef recently said on Twitter that he will personally be returning to Puerto Rico soon.

Earlier this week Andrés announced that he would be closing his charity's main kitchen at the Coliseo in San Juan, to focus on using satellite kitchens in remote areas to get food to the most vulnerable victims of Hurricane Maria.

"Now is the time to support local businesses so Puerto Rico can rebuild. We need to focus on the people who still need our help — the people in remote areas, the elderly, and the sick," he said in a release.

That doesn't mean World Central Kitchen's mission is over, though. Andrés says it will be operating in Puerto Rico for a while, and he himself will be back soon.

Andrés' 18 satellite kitchens have fed people in all 78 municipalities in Puerto Rico. Local chefs and restaurateurs have been assisting at the satellite kitchens, and a fleet of food trucks brings the food to people who need it. His efforts in Puerto Rico have been more successful than anybody anticipated, and this is just one of the reasons José Andrés is the hero everyone needs right now.

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