What is World Central Kitchen? What to know about the DC-based nonprofit

Andie Vigliotti
·2 min read
8
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — World Central Kitchen (WCK) said it paused operations in Gaza after seven of its volunteers died in an Israel Defense Forces (ISD) air strike while working to provide food aid in the region, the organization said in a statement Tuesday.

But what is WCK?

World Central Kitchen’s website say it is a D.C.-based nonprofit organization that provides meals on the front lines of humanitarian, climate, and community conflict through a “network of local restaurants, food trucks, or emergency kitchens.”

Celebrity Chef José Andrés founded World Central Kitchen in 2010 after a catastrophic earthquake in Haiti caused wide scale destruction.

“I have experienced a lot of hurricanes and tornadoes and it is the little things right after it happens that makes the biggest difference,” Chef Corps member Kelsey Barnard Clark said in a statement posted on WCK’s website. “For me, food is a way that brings people together, a way to show love and that you care about someone is to feed them.”

Andrés was born in Spain and came to the United States in 1991, first to New York City and then to D.C.

The Michelin Star chef opened 19 restaurants, eight of which are in the DMV.

DC-based Chef José Andrés nominated for Nobel Prize

World Central Kitchen has delivered humanitarian assistance through meals in Puerto Rico following Hurricane María, wildfires across Texas, California, and Chile, throughout COVID-19, to refugees and amidst the war in Ukraine.

In 2023, the organization said it was able to provide more than 100 million meals to the frontlines of global conflicts and the climate crisis.

The organization operates through a network of chefs around the globe it calls the Chef Corps, which assists the wider efforts of WCK by partnering with local contacts and resources in order to deliver aid with speed. WCK says these chefs are culinary leaders that act as pillars of their community. With more than 400 chefs part of the corps, the organization has an expansive reach of more than 140 cities, which has helped more than 40 relief efforts.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.