Princess of Asturias Award goes to José Andrés and World Central Kitchen

The chefs' NGO provides meals to people around the world suffering from natural disasters, from hurricanes and tornados to earthquakes and fires

The tireless efforts of chef José Andrés and his NGO, World Central Kitchen (WCK), do not go unnoticed. Most recently he racked up another award, this time the Princess of Asturias distinction, for his dedication to providing meals to people suffering from natural disasters such as hurricanes, typhoons, wildfires and earthquakes. During the peak of the pandemic, when people were confined to their homes, Andrés and WCK distributed an impressive 15 million meals around the world.

On this occasion, the chef and his organization have been recognized “for developing exemplary forms of humanitarian aid to help the most impoverished people in extreme situations,” according to elpais.com.The Princess of Asturias Awards are presented every year by the Princess of Asturias Foundation to people and organizations worldwide for making important contributions to public affairs, the humanities and the sciences.

Andrés has been living and working in the US since 1991 and has established an extensive network of restaurants across the country, including Jaleo, Barmini, Beefsteak, Oyamel, Mercado Little Spain, and Pepe Food Truck. He was included on Time magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People back in 2012 and he was also named Outstanding Chef by the James Beard Foundation.