One shining example is World Central Kitchen (WCK), a nonprofit, non-governmental organization founded by Spanish American chef and restaurateur José Andrés, that provides food relief. Previously, the organization provided aid after the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the Kīlauea eruption in 2018, and the Turkey–Syria earthquakes in 2023. It is currently active in the ongoing Gaza humanitarian crisis.

Using a tried-and-tested model, WCK utilizes a large number of local partners, restaurants, and food trucks in their global network in order to hit the ground running.

According to Trish Engel, the Community Outreach Manager at WCK, the organization is divided into different teams. Each gets to work on their own track, and a lot of the work is done in parallel.

“Some of our very first outreach is to the chefs or restaurants we know in the area, both to get real-time feedback on the level of damage and impact on the community and to understand their kitchen’s capacity and ability to start cooking,” Engel explains. “At the same time, we’re getting team members there [to figure out] where the need is and how we can best distribute… or bring in equipment like Cambros that can keep food hot for transport.”

They also look for sites to start a full-scale kitchen, finding local partners and volunteers to support meal distribution and cooking. Currently, more than 350 local volunteers and 70 restaurant and food truck partners are supporting the cause. This allows for a rapid response, as seen by the more than 415 000 meals sent out in Los Angeles so far.

WCK ran multiple sites in Southern California, where they distributed free, hot meals to the public in response to the wildfires near LA. This could not have been done without a massive network of chefs and the enthusiasm and dedication of the team.

One of the amazing volunteers in the “Chef Corp,” as they are called in WCK, is Daniel Shemtob, food truck owner of Lime Truck and Los Angeles resident. He recently moved to Pacific Palisades with his pregnant wife, and they lost their home to the wildfire.

“I was just super depressed and couldn’t be alone. I couldn’t focus on anything. My wife was really stressed out and wanted to see the house, so I rode my buddy’s bike in Brentwood into the Palisades,” Shemtob says. “Our whole neighborhood was flat.”

His suffering did not stop him from immediately contributing to the cause. Although he was facing hardship himself, the idea of giving back made him feel better.

“I remember so vividly a family with three kids that came to the truck who had lost their home. One of the family members, who was probably in his late forties, came up to me and said that the food was delicious and that the day had been so fun. It was the first time I smiled all week,” Shemtob says.

Working at his truck serving thousands of people who have had similar situations allows Shemtob to give part of his soul through food—which is what drove him to become a chef in the first place.

“Restaurants are always the first ones to give back,” he says. “During COVID, I watched LA suffer. All of our restaurants struggled; I was down 90 percent, and I had to close three restaurants, yet I [along with] friends in the industry, were out there giving free meals away. That’s the thing that’s so cool about our industry and why support is so necessary.”

To Shemtob, these acts of charity create strong local bonds and signify what we do for each other. “It’s how we give hospitality, and that multiplies,” he says.

Chefs Greg Dulan and Kim Prince are also part of the Chef Corp. Prince, founder of Hotville Chicken, and Dulan, owner of Dulan’s Soul Food Kitchen, both live in the Los Angeles area and were recruited by WCK to feed firefighters.

“These families have already experienced enough transition and displacement by losing their home,” Dulan says. “Least we can offer is a stationed area where they can get meals that they are familiar with—a diet that they understand.”

The duo provides the community with old-school, Southern-style comfort foods like plant-based jambalaya and vegan coleslaw, as well as fried chicken, cornbread muffins, hot collard greens, red beans and rice, and sticky ribs.

Even chefs from outside of California have provided aid independently. Melanie McElroy, the founder of Detroit’s Melway Burger pop-up, shared a donation link through Instagram the weekend after the fires began. Her customers, some of whom have connections to LA, came out in freezing cold weather to eat burgers at the pop-up’s winter residency, where the proceeds were split among three chosen relief organizations. Chef Chris Shepherd, based in Houston and the founder of the Southern Smoke Foundation, also hopped on to help.

Numerous other chefs and hospitality workers have joined this vital cause. However, WCK is not solely focused on this unfortunate incident. They have been and continue to be involved in several international crises.

Chef José Andrés started WCK in 2010 after his trip to Haiti to provide aid following a devastating earthquake. He envisioned a “chefs without borders” program where chefs could use their professional knowledge to drive positive changes globally.

The project was more than feeding people in need. It was about listening, learning, and cooking alongside the people impacted by crises. To Chef Andrés, this is the real meaning of comfort food and the core value that he and his wife Patricia championed while founding WCK. The group’s efforts centered on making hot food familiar to the displaced people.

WCK has helped during the 2017 Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Maria, the 2018 Lower Puna eruption, the 2019 Kincade Fire, the 2020 Australian bushfire, the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, and the ongoing Ukrainian and Gazan humanitarian crises. It is also sending aid to northeastern Australia amid flooding and record rains.

“We have a comprehensive approach. We are an emergency, not a hunger organization. We are very unique in emergencies,” Chef Andrés says of the team. “We have amazing people that move into the disaster to help people… When there is no food, no water, they make magic happen… What we do is we have people that say, ‘We are here to help the people when they need us the most.’”

They have not only provided much-needed sustenance to disaster-struck areas but also established other initiatives such as culinary training, clean cooking projects, and food producer networks to foster stronger communities.

Chef Andrés’s enthusiasm for philanthropy and giving back is palpable. His infectious attitude and stellar results have attracted numerous celebrities and influential people to the cause, such as actresses Eva Longoria and Jennifer Garner, the LA Dodgers baseball team, and Kamala Harris, former vice president of the United States.

“In the worst moments of humanity, the best of humanity always shows up… We all have the power to move the needle. If we can help somebody to our left and to our right, it is worth the effort.”

It is a sentiment shared by many in the food and beverage and hospitality industries, which is evident by the rapid and efficient responses whenever disaster strikes. Here is hoping that this great cause, as well as those associated with it, will continue with their amazing work and make an impact where needed.

Meanwhile, we as diners and consumers should continue to support them by donating our money, time, and attention, as well as visiting local restaurants and shops to make sure they stay as crucial parts of our communities.