At World Central Kitchen, José Andrés Is in the Middle of a Mess

A painting that hung until recently at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, depicts José Andrés, the celebrity chef and restaurateur, standing in a foot of rainwater, holding out a large ceramic pot of stew with an expression of steely resolve. Well behind him, a couple dozen people lug food and supplies, with the logo for World Central Kitchen, Andrés’ disaster relief nonprofit, scattered throughout. At the edge of the jungle behind them sit some collapsed buildings, and distant plumes of smoke frame Andrés’ head against the blue bits of sky peeking through. This is a tribute to the man, and to WCK, whose influence has transformed him from a professional foodie into a figure of global import with the White House’s ear.

WCK has fed millions of people in need after devastating hurricanes, earthquakes and fires, becoming one of the largest such organizations on Earth. Over the past five years, its annual revenue has grown more than 50-fold, topping $500 million in 2022. (Michael Bloomberg, majority owner of Bloomberg Businessweek parent Bloomberg LP, has also donated to WCK through his charitable organization, Bloomberg Philanthropies.) Its hundred or so staffers, along with thousands more volunteers and contractors, have responded to disasters in 18 countries so far this year—feeding war victims in Ukraine, delivering meal kits to earthquake survivors in Syria and Turkey and partnering with local aid groups in Gaza, Israel and surrounding countries to feed war victims and the families of hostages. “When we hear about a tragedy, we all kind of get stuck on ‘What’s the best to way to help?’ ” playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, an Andrés pal, told Time magazine in the early days of Covid-19. “He just hurries his ass over and gets down there.”