MIAMI BEACH – As an unknown woman tries to process the destruction all around her home near Kyiv, one of the world’s most famous chefs, Jose Andres, is trying to make sense of what he’s seeing too.
“I cannot believe we are in the middle of a refugee crisis created by a war that should not be happening. Man, this breaks your heart,” said Andres from Poland.
The world-renowned chef is trying to make those hearts whole again through food.
“Bananas are the perfect food. Why? Because you peel them, they are clean,” explained Andres.
Andres’ non-profit World Central Kitchen, which has been responding to natural disasters since the 2010 Haiti earthquake, now has the dubious distinction of working its first-ever war zone. And among the people Andres has chosen to lead the difficult mission is Miami chef Karla Hoyos.
“You work with what you have and you make it happen. Right now, the situation is very unknown. You could have 100 refugees crossing the border at 8 a.m., but then at 10 a.m. you have 10,000 and have to make sure have food for them,” said Hoyos.
Hoyos is helping lead efforts to feed refugees in Korczowa, Poland, which is roughly 16 miles from the Ukrainian border.
“In all, the operation, from north to south, we’re producing about 125,000 meals a day. We have a main kitchen in Ukraine. We also work with restaurant partners there,” said Hoyos.
In Poland, Hoyos’ team preps about 15,000 meals a day. World Central Kitchen also has a presence in Moldova, Romania, Hungary and Ukraine itself, with 43 distribution points in all.
“There’s one person who does logistics, one person who does distribution, one person who sources ingredients. The team Jose has is amazing,” exclaimed Hoyos.
And caring as their borscht and goulash is delicious, especially for the most vulnerable of the Ukrainian refugees.
“We’re making baby food as well. There are a lot of mothers and children. So we’re making apple sauce from scratch. We’re also making carrot puree for the babies as well.”
An operation so important even President Biden made a pit stop to see it firsthand. Meanwhile, Chef Hoyos marveling at all the humanity despite all the destruction in their midst.
“The overwhelming amount of people that want to help is amazing to see. There’s a lot of bad stuff happening but also a lot of amazing people who want to help.”
