We Fed an Island

by Jose Andres

  For our Puerto Rican chefs, the extreme challenges of the recovery helped restore their sense of hope in their communities. “I have new faith in people,” said Ricardo Rivera Badía of El Churry. “You see people here, and they’ve been here for weeks not getting paid. But they are as inspired and happy as the first day. They got engaged with the situation and empowered through it. They took it seriously and that definitely has created in me a new faith in people, to be candid. There are lots of stories of people we have offered money to and they have refused it because they are doing things from the bottom of their heart.”

  There are also lots of people who were ready to quit the island but instead found their commitment reborn. Ginny Piñero, who managed our order-taking and organized us from our earliest days, said she found purpose in our food relief efforts. She had been planning to leave Puerto Rico before the hurricane hit, as her son was going to college on the mainland, and her career needed a new chapter. Then her life changed. “I feel tired, but I feel satisfied,” she said. “I feel complete.” She had spent much of the last year working on a doomed campaign for governor by David Bernier, helping to shape the candidate’s policies in the hope of serving as his representative on the island’s fiscal board. When she talked to him in the middle of our food relief operation, she told him how her life was going. “If you were the governor, I was going to be on the fiscal board,” she said. “I don’t have to deal with the fiscal board now. I have to deal with the whole island.” After her experience, she decided she needed to go into public service of some kind, like her great grandfather, who was governor of the island in the 1940s. “That is me,” she says. “That is who I am. This is my legacy to look after the people. It’s confirmed I need to make a whole turn in my career. I’m going to keep on working with non-profits.”

  As for Puerto Rico, my friends don’t expect anything to come back until 2019. Even then, Puerto Rico needs much longer term help to restructure its debts and rebuild its infrastructure. “I just don’t see people coming and wanting to spend their hard-earned money immediately,” said Wilo Benet, one of our original Chefs For Puerto Rico, whose great Pikayo restaurant was closed with the rest of the Condado Plaza Hilton in San Juan. His staff scattered across the United States, in Texas, Florida and Illinois, and he was hoping to bring them back when the time was right. Like many others, he continued to pay some employees who needed help for as long as he could, even without a functioning business. “I’m looking forward to when we can get together again,” he said.

  After the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, politicians liked to say they wanted to see nation-building at home. Well, Puerto Rico is home and it needs to be rebuilt. If we can find billions to do that in the Middle East and central Asia, we can surely do that on American soil in the Caribbean. Nobody should be talking about FEMA pulling out or the disaster being over within a few months of the hurricane. It wasn’t, and we were still cooking hot meals in Puerto Rico many months after we wound down our huge kitchens, when the recovery was supposed to be well under way. The line between disaster relief and poverty relief is blurred: the hunger of the elderly and the sick has been worsened by the economic collapse after Maria and the continued lack of clean water and reliable power. The latest estimates put the death toll in Puerto Rico at 4,645.11 That is more than the number of people who died in the terrorist attacks on 9/11, and more than double the death toll after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans. The best way to honor those American lives is to rebuild the place they left behind.

  THERE SADLY IS ALWAYS ANOTHER DISASTER AROUND THE CORNER. While most of my team was still in Puerto Rico, we watched from a distance as wildfires destroyed the beautiful wine country of Napa Valley. My friend Guy Fieri started cooking thousands of meals for evacuees and first responders, saying we were his inspiration. “If this guy is able to go to a city that doesn’t have power, doesn’t have running water, and he’s able to start feeding thousands of people, we gotta figure this out,” the chef told a local radio station.12

  In turn, when we saw the wildfires in Southern California in early December, we knew we had to get back in the kitchen. I called Nate and he said he was on the way before I even asked him to go. Working with my mentor Robert Egger at his new community operation, L.A. Kitchen, we began to build a new team of ten chefs under Jason Collis of Plated Events, and Tim Kilcoyne of Scratch in Ventura. Partnered with the Red Cross, we cooked fifty thousand meals for first responders in December and January, first for the wildfires and then the mudslides. Chef David Chang of Momofuku fame dropped by to help cook as the word spread about what we were doing. Our California operations demonstrated how this new model of food relief can work across different places and crises, as long as you are ready to adapt and work with local experts and partners.

  A lot of people praise what I’ve done, but that isn’t what should be praised. What I’m amazed about is that—without any infrastructure and without any readiness—we were able to be more ready and adaptable than organizations that specialize in emergencies. Imagine what we could have done with the right partners who wanted us to succeed. Imagine what we could do with the right technology: with digital maps showing in real time where food is needed and getting delivered. Imagine if we could do the same with medicines, seeing where drugs are stored and needed, like a digital pharmacy.

  Our greatest achievement was not that we did all this. It’s that we were able to grow from an organization that wasn’t supposed to be there, to an organization that had better intelligence, supplies and purpose than the people who claimed they were experts. Now is the time for those disaster experts to work with the food experts to build a new model of disaster relief that is effective and efficient, driven by the right priorities.

  That wasn’t what we set out to do. We didn’t want to fight with the bureaucracy or restructure government. All we wanted to do was to feed the people. But when you start with a simple goal, you learn you can achieve the impossible.

  You discover, before long, that you can actually feed an island.

  Acknowledgments

  IT WASN’T BY CHANCE THAT WE CALLED THIS BOOK WE FED AN ISLAND. I am humbled by the amount of personal recognition for my work in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately it seems that every movement needs a face. But I know, and you all should know, that it took many people, without expecting anything in return, who gave their best to fulfill a dream at a time when people were in need of a basic meal. Americans came together to form an army that grew by the hundreds every day. People recognized a moment to serve—an important moment—and that’s what they did.

  Here are my acknowledgments of the people who fed the island. I’m extremely sorry if you’re not on this list. If we forgot you, please know that we are grateful to you forever.

  To Nate Mook, who in just a few hours was sitting next to me on the plane and became the best friend anybody can have in a moment like this: unselfish, giving, calm in the chaos. Nate helped build the operations from the beginning and did everything from social media to being my trusted adviser.

  To José Enrique Montes, his sister Karla, his father José Antonio Montes and the team from his restaurant José Enrique in Santurce. His restaurant became our fort from our very first days on the island after Maria. And to the most loyal, hard-working team from his restaurant: Ivan Lugo, Janiliss Hernández, Miguel Díaz, Erick Rondon, Daniel Sánchez, Denise Ortiz, and Andres Rossy, who are from now on my brothers and sisters forever.

  To my chefs for Puerto Rico: Wilo Benet from Pikayo, who gave his best from the beginning, as well as amazing pastelón de carne; José Santaella from Santaella, who gave us his entire walk-in full of food; Enrique Piñeiro from Mesa 364, who became our second kitchen and the inspiration that we could open many more kitchens across the island; Victor Rosado, who has traveled with my ThinkFoodGroup from Mi Casa to Bazaar Mar; Manolo and Juan Martinez from Paella y Algo Mas, who worked harder and smiled more than anyone else, delivering thousands of extra meals wherever and whenever we nee
ded them; Ventura Vivoni of Vida Ventura, a talented chef in the heart of Puerto Rico who worked to feed people when there were no cameras or reporters, going up hills and down valleys to deliver meals every day; Eva Bolivar of Bili Restaurant, who rose to the occasion even after her restaurant was badly damaged, partnering with us to cook thousands of meals on the beautiful island of Vieques; Carlos Perez of El Block, a rock on Vieques next to Eva, who made sure the elderly were never forgotten; Pastor Eliomar Santana of Iglesia de Jesuscristo Monte Moriah in Naguabo, who is my favorite pastor-chef in the world, and who gave us hope that anything is possible with faith and love for each other.

  To my friends and partners at the Instituto de Banca y Comercio, especially Gonçal Bonmati and Michael Bannett: from the earliest days, we began dreaming that we could activate your schools and feed everyone, and that dream became a reality thanks to your perseverance and willingness to help the people of Puerto Rico. I know the IBC kitchens will be there to support another tragic event, God forbid.

  To my team: Erin Schrode, my American sister, who came to support Nate and me without a clear idea of what we were talking about, but very quickly became the driving force of many of the things we did, and who stayed on the island for many more months, committed to feeding the people in need; David Thomas, one of the best chefs I know, a friend and a brother, who showed more passion than anyone for what was happening in Puerto Rico; David Strong, who I’m honored to say has helped me open many ventures, and who only had to look into my eyes to understand what I needed and what was needed to get this done; Jesus Antonio Serrano Pabon, my pastry chef from Minibar and his wife Alexsandra Ortiz; Michael Rolon; Ricardo Heredia; Tito Vargas; and to Ruben Garcia and Aitor Zabala, who are my left and right in creativity.

  To Kimberly Grant, the best CEO on the planet, who could see from a distance that I was getting under water as our operations were growing bigger. In the shadows, she was able to make sure we got finance, accounting, lawyers and all the many things that you need to have in place as the operation exploded.

  To Michael Doneff, Margaret Chaffee, Daniel Serrano, Stephanie Salvador and Satchel Kaplan-Allen, who kept everyone in the loop, working behind the scenes to make us successful and make me look good every day.

  To Scott Sinder and his wife Jodie Kelley for always being there for me, every moment I need friends and lawyers. Much of my success in life I owe to them.

  So many people from my company donated huge amounts of personal time and effort making sure that World Central Kitchen and I would not fail. We always said that TFG would change the world through the power of food, but I never imagined that through this company we would have the opportunity to serve the world as one. Once a TFGer, always a TFGer.

  My special thanks to the chefs who came with me to Houston: Charisse Dickens, Victor Albisu and Faiz Ally.

  To the core team in Puerto Rico: Ginny Piñero for becoming not only our order-taker but our connection to the island, and for often being the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave at night. Also to Jennifer Herrera, Alejandro Perez, Alejandro Torres, Alejandro Umpierre, Andres Acosta.

  To our chefs from Bon Appétit: Blas Baldepina, David Apthorpe, Khori and Juana Thomas, Ty Paup, and Karla Hoyos.

  To all our chefs, cooks and volunteers: Carlos Carillo, Christian Carbonell, Christopher Knapp, Fernando Concepción, Eric Luis Lopez, Israel Rodriguez, Ivonne Rios Mejia, Javier Mercado, Camile Mercado, José Rios, José Ruben Martinez, Kalych Padro, Lymari Figueroa, Mariana Carbonell, Giselle “Ñaña” Villa, Dilka Benitez, Rosela Angela and Yolaida in Loiza, and Chef Jeremy Hansen.

  To our arroz operation: Robert Espina, Stephanie Ortiz, Wandy Ortiz, Javier Liriano Feliciano, Oscar Maldonado, Yamil Lopez, Rawi Leafar Yuri Disla, Javier Liriano Feliciano, Juan Torres.

  And to the more than 20,000 volunteers without whom we could never have fed an island.

  To Rafa Herrera: As I was traveling the island, with multiple phones, I needed somebody to take me around but I never could have expected to make a friend like Rafa. He did far more than drive my car: he was the ultimate insider who gave me daily situation reports on the island.

  To our angels, the food trucks of Chefs For Puerto Rico: Xoimar Manning, Michael Sauri and Alondra Sauri (Yummy Dumplings); Yareli Manning and José Gonzalez (Meatball Kitchen); Ricardo and Luz Rivera Badía (El Churry); Mariana Lima Limoso (Acai On The Go); José Ortiz and Team Develop (Dame Un Bite); Marta Gonzalez (Ocean Deli); Arturo Carrion and Karlox Ayala (Peko Peko); High Kitchen; Lemon Submarine; Pisco Labis. You know I love you all! You were the core of this operation from day one. You were our ears and eyes when it came to the needs of the people. You will be my family forever.

  To the kitchens we gratefully borrowed: José Enrique in Santurce, Centro Envejecientes in Vieques, Head Start in Utuado, Vivo Beach Club in Carolina, José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum (El Choliseo).

  To our biggest suppliers and supporters: Mario Pagan, one of the first people I called, who introduced me to his old friend Jorge Unanue, who was so generous donating Goya food and his helicopter pilot skills to take us to the most unreachable parts of Puerto Rico; Ramón Leal of ASORE, my Puerto Rican brother and anchor, who gave me the credibility I needed and who worked harder than anybody in the early days and weeks; Ramón Gonzalez Cordero of Empire Gas, who made sure we had gas in every situation, and worked tirelessly to get gas to anybody who needed it across the island; Ramón Santiago and Eduardo Santiago from José Santiago, my fellow Asturians and our favorite food providers, as well as the perfect example of how the private sector works to perfection; Alberto de la Cruz of Coca-Cola, who provided us with water, know-how and crucial connections, and who had the clearest solutions to the gas and water problems on the island; Viviana Mercardo of Walmart, who helped us skip the lines at Sam’s Club, and gave us help with food and money early on when nobody else believed in us; Lulu Puras and Guillin Arzuaga of Mano y Mano, who did so much to deliver food to the ejidas and supported chef Piñeiro from the earliest days; Bernardo Medina, our media and communications expert, who helped me navigate the media waters of Puerto Rico in a smooth way and helped us with the branding that is more important than you think because it gives you a sense that we are one team; José Luis Labeaga of Mi Pan bakery, who was so important in our sandwich operation, alongside the island’s other bakeries; Roberto Cacho, who helped us understand the power of water filters and gave us huge support early on. And to Andrés López for all your wise legal advice.

  Our thanks to Carlos Vazquez and the whole team at The Place in Condado, for feeding our team almost every night: thank you for making us feel at home when we were away from home and for giving us a place to belong.

  And our special thanks to the whole team at the AC Hotel, which was our home for many months. They were always patient, understanding and supportive, even when we changed our plans late at night in a building that was struggling with power and over-booking.

  To my Dorado Beach team, including Friedel and Federico Stubbe of the Prisa Group, who are my friends and family, and my secret weapon to get anything done; Kenny Blatt, for always caring for me and helping us use the kitchen at Dorado Beach; Arne Sorenson, CEO of Marriott International, for all your support.

  To my friend and partner Fedele Bauccio, from Bon Appétit, who sent chefs down to support our efforts, without asking why. I now understand why his company is one of the best food operations in the world. And to Gary Green and all my friends at the Compass Group, whose many companies helped in so many ways. Also to Restaurant Associates for all their help in Houston.

  To Emilio and Gloria Estefan, who will always be my brother and my sister, and who helped Puerto Rico in so many generous ways.

  To Daya Fernandez, for calling me from Paris with guidance about the places that needed food in Puerto Rico and for the connection to Lulu Puras; David Naranjo at Rock Orange, for offering help with planes and so much more; Lymari Nadal, for showing up at the beginning and bringing so many meals to Ponc
e; Luis Fortuño, the former governor of Puerto Rico, for all your support and advice; Senator Mark Warner, for caring and calling and asking how we needed help.

  To Jimmy Kemp of the Jack Kemp Foundation: thank you for your great advice and connections in Congress. To the Fonalledas family, for getting us products, assistance and moral support early on. To Juan Carlos Iturregui, for being such a great voice of wisdom.

  Our thanks to FreshPoint for donating vegetables and especially a refrigerator truck for weeks on end. We couldn’t have ramped up in the early days and weeks without you. Thanks also to Mario Somoza from Pan Pepín, for all the food you donated; and to the IRSI restaurant group for donating money and food to support us.

  To the many mayors and senators in Puerto Rico: thank you for your devotion to helping people and your support for us. You know who you are, but you are too many to mention and my gratitude is no less for all that.

  My thanks and love to Lin-Manuel Miranda, because you are you, and because a humble rap tweet gave us the energy we needed to keep going at a tough time.

  I cannot thank enough Laurene Powell Jobs: because nobody does more without expecting anything in return. You are my sister, and you gave me hope in a moment of darkness in more ways than you will ever imagine. Also my thanks to Stacey Rubin, managing director of Emerson Collective, who believed in us all along, was always just a phone call away, and who opened the doors of impossibility.