Small changes can lead to big ripples that create a more just world, renowned chef and humanitarian José Andrés told a group of culinary enthusiasts at George Mason University’s Freedom and Learning Forum on Monday.
“Every time I see injustice—I can go home, not care, or start acting,” Andrés said.
Many lasting human and environmental changes from how we cook to what we eat center on the humble kitchen, he said. For example, moving away from calorie-dense foods to nutrient-rich ones such as vegetables would help address obesity.
A chef who dives enthusiastically into topics, Andrés tackles hunger and poverty on an international level, advises the White House on nutrition and policy, and has sparred with GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump over immigration.
“Sometimes it just stresses me to follow him on Twitter,” joked fellow Spaniard and Mason President Ángel Cabrera, who created the Freedom and Learning Forum.
Andrés is the chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup and owns 21 restaurants in Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Miami, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The James Beard Foundation awarded Andrés “Outstanding Chef,” and Time named him one of its “100 Most Influential People.”
It was a trip to Haiti following the earthquake in 2010 that set him on his current course. He went there to do what he loves—cook for others. The simple act of cooking is powerful, said Andrés, who describes himself as a storyteller.
“It is the best show of love.”
Going to Haiti was a humbling experience, Andrés said. He learned to listen to what the Haitians needed—including how they like their beans prepared—instead of giving them what he thought they should have. He followed up with a special that ran on PBS.
“Even people in need want to be respected for who they are,” Andrés said.
In 2012, Andrés took D.C. Central Kitchen international and set up the nonprofit World Central Kitchen, which trains chefs, seeks to eliminate hunger and boost a community’s economy. Creating economic opportunities for the working poor is a priority for the chef, who says successful companies make employee success a priority.
He is also the culinary ambassador for the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves.
More than three billion people use wood or charcoal to cook their food. It’s expensive and comes at a high cost to the environment, Andrés said.
“We are attracted to the fire—it’s in our DNA,” he said.
But there’s opportunity for entrepreneurs to build clean-burning cookstoves that use other cleaner-burning fuels. Solar is the cleanest, but no one wants to use it for cooking, he added.
Charlene Douglas, a Mason nursing professor, praised his efforts.
“You don’t understand what that means for women and children,” she said. “If you can see smoke, that’s sitting in your lungs.”