San Juan, Puerto Rico
Jos茅 Andr茅s had just come back from Manat铆 and Dorado on Puerto Rico鈥檚 northern coast, bursting with excitement about school cafeterias.
The world-renowned chef, who oversees more than 20 restaurants in the United States, including one in Dorado, came to Puerto Rico to help with relief efforts after Hurricane Maria. But when he was speaking with the island鈥檚 Secretary of Education Julia Keleher about Puerto Rico鈥檚 recovery from the storm, he began to form an idea about how he could connect schools to his culinary skills.
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Chef Jos茅 Andr茅s discusses his efforts to use school cafeterias to help feed the people of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.
鈥淚 began talking to her and I saw that the kitchens at the school were very good, and they had employees that were very good,鈥� Andr茅s said outside the Jos茅 Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan on Oct. 9.
In conjunction with Keleher鈥檚 agency, he is now trying to organize people to work in school cafeterias to prepare as much food as possible. And he鈥檚 encouraged by what he sees. One school in the mountain village of Utuado is in tune with what Andr茅s envisions, and is serving food to people who have lost their homes.
Andr茅s supports the idea of schools taking on a substitute role as food distribution sites. In fact, he thinks some cafeteria workers are ahead of the game, even though they鈥檙e not working in closed schools.
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鈥淚 am already receiving news that many of the cooks of the school cafeterias, they鈥檝e been volunteering and setting up kitchens in the squares in every corner of Puerto Rico, feeding people,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very happy that Puerto Ricans are showing that they鈥檙e very creative in taking care of themselves.鈥�
Enthusiastic Reception
When Andr茅s showed up at the coliseum in a blue SUV, he was greeted by a burst of applause and cheers. The coliseum is serving as a major hub for food distribution efforts. He stopped to speak with Xoimar Manning, whose daughter Alondra has been volunteering to move the food out to communities in need. Manning couldn鈥檛 hold back tears, and she and Andr茅s shared a long embrace before moved on.
Andr茅s thinks organizing the relief efforts around schools means 鈥渆mpowering local jobs and local food.鈥� And even more importantly in his mind, the effort can be sustained by the island鈥檚 people.
鈥淣obody鈥檚 going to do it better than Puerto Ricans feeding Puerto Ricans,鈥� Andr茅s said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 the movement you see here. It鈥檚 Puerto Ricans taking care of Puerto Ricans.鈥�
