Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Four days after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, acclaimed chef José Andrés arrived on the island to do what he could to feed its hungry people fresh, nourishing meals. Wrangling a group of friends and fellow chefs in San Juan, he quickly founded and became chair of World Central Kitchen, the NGO that eventually served 100,000 meals daily via kitchens in restaurants, schools, a church, and a stadium. In the midst of this massive undertaking, he was thwarted by government red tape, an enormous lack of understanding of the scope of the natural disaster and the abject failure of FEMA, and even the Red Cross (Andrés has no problem naming names) in his effort to get good food, not the dreaded MREs, to fellow Americans. Impassioned and unwavering in his resolve, Andrés and equally committed coauthor Wolffe do a masterful job of detailing World Central Kitchen's work. They also provide a primer on Puerto Rican history and a brisk analysis of how the federal government failed its citizens and why a new system for addressing food needs in the wake of disasters must be developed. This is an earthshaking report on Hurricane Maria's catastrophic aftermath and a hopeful and determined look toward preventing similar failures in the future. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: James Beard-winning chef Andrés, named one of Time's ""100 Most Influential People,"" and Puerto Rico's ongoing struggles make this a hot title.--Colleen Mondor Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This lovely, energizing story from Michelin-starred chef Andrés and his frequent cookbook coauthor Wolffe (Made in Spain) provides an antidote to passivity and cynicism. Having done food relief work in Haiti in 2010, Andrés was ready to help feed the people of Puerto Rico after the island was ravaged by Hurricane Maria seven year later. Andrés tells how his nonprofit organization thrived despite the fumbling incompetence of government agencies and nonprofits-and an American president who "seemed to have no idea what his role was." In a matter of days, Andrés and his volunteers had expanded an operation run by his friend Jose Enrique, a San Juan chef, making sandwiches, paellas, and stew (Andres has contempt for the idea that disaster victims deserve only lousy food). In between fighting with red tape-tangled FEMA officials and dealing with the Red Cross's lack of organization, Andres quickly scaled up an operation with 20,000 volunteers that produced three million meals. "We solved the problems as they popped up," Andres writes, "as chefs do." This is a powerful story of the impact a well-meaning group can have on the world. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
After Hurricane Maria's destruction of Puerto Rico, a renowned chef and an army of volunteers raced to feed the islanders when others could not.Chef, humanitarian, and founder and chairman of World Central Kitchen, Andrs (Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen, 2008, etc.) arrived in Puerto Rico four days after Maria flattened the island to find Puerto Ricans struggling to live without food, clean water, electricity, and a host of other services and conditions. He set out to help the one way he knew how: feeding everyone he possibly could. What started out as a temporary situation lasted for weeks and cost millions of dollars as Andrs and his huge crew of volunteers, working in a coordinated network of kitchens, cranked out vast vats full of chicken and rice and thousands of ham and cheese sandwiches on a daily basis. In this inspirational story of humanitarian aid, co-authored by previous collaborator Wolffe (The Message: The Reselling of President Obama, 2013, etc.), Andrs openly shares his frustration and disappointment with FEMA, Donald Trump, numerous agencies in the U.S. government, and even widely recognized aid groups such as the Salvation Army and the Red Cross. Over and over, the author was met with bureaucratic red tape that delayed funding for food products; eventually, he used his own money to purchase supplies. Andrs knew that the most important issue was getting nutritious and tasty food (rather than the military's ready-to-eat meals, which are barely edible) and water to those in need. Throughout the book, the author's passion to help people is palpable, as is the sense of hope that helped him achieve an almost impossible goal. His actions should be the basis for future work by FEMA and other humanitarian agencies: Provide good food and water to those in need and worry about the money much later.A passionate and courageous story that should be required reading for anyone involved in disaster response. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
