Jaleo Owner Chef Jose Andres Feeds Thousands In Puerto Rico

BETHESDA, MD — Chef Jose Andres, owner of Jaleo in Bethesda and other DC area restaurants, is feeding thousands in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Irma left the American territory without power or running water. Andres, through his charity World Central Kitchen, and with the help of local chefs went from a single kitchen operating out of Jose Enrique’s restaurant in Santurce into a coordinated effort reaching thousands of families across the island, the charity says.

Through a combination of emergency kitchens and food trucks, World Central Kitchen efforts fed a total of 50,000 meals this week.

"Thanks to an outpouring of support, we are sending additional chefs from our Chef Network down this week to manage more kitchens in other areas of the country including Cataño and Ponce. José and the World Central Kitchen team are committed to serving the Puerto Rico community by providing meals to those that need it most as the country begins to rebuild," the charity posted on its website.

Donations to provide food and water are still urgently needed, you can donate here and continue to spread the word with #ChefsForPuertoRico on social media.

Andres and others are cooking huge portions of food and using food trucks to disperse it in in parts of the island, which is still struggling to restore basic utilities and phone service two weeks after the hurricane devastated Puerto Rico.

Jaleo, located at 7271 Woodmont Avenue, is run by chef and owner Andres, who immigrated from Spain and later became a U.S. citizen. He famously dropped out of a deal with President Donald Trump to open a restaurant at Trump International Hotel in Washington in protest of the president's characterization of Mexicans as drug dealers and rapists; the duo are fighting it out in court.

The chef says immigrants, especially Latinos, are under attack, yet they are integral to farm work, wineries, commercial fishing and the food service industry. "It seems we are part of the American dream, but somehow it seems that America is not recognizing what we are doing," Andres told NPR.

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Image via World Central Kitchen YouTube video