José Feeds the World: How a Famous Chef Feeds Millions of People in Need Around the World

This factual, step-by-step biography of philanthropist chef José Andrés foregrounds how his background and career led to his founding World Central Kitchen. Born in Spain in 1969 to nurse parents who frequently hosted at home, he realized early on that “it was possible to make life better for others in big and small ways,” specifically through food. After attending cooking school in Barcelona, he worked in New York, then opened a tapas restaurant in Washington, D.C.: “He liked tapas because they created a community.” Volunteering at a D.C. soup kitchen, he once again noticed food’s effect on people, a concept that followed him to Haiti after its 2010 earthquake; there, he learned “to cook food in the local style to make people feel better cared for,” a practice he continued after founding nonprofit World Central Kitchen, a globally scaled soup kitchen providing for people in places affected by disasters. Miguéns’s digital illustrations, one of which seems to nod at Sendak’s In the Night Kitchen, depict Andrés cooking and collaborating around the world, including during Covid and in 2022 Ukraine. A list of Andrés’s honors and a glossary conclude. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)