We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal At a Time - Richard Wolffe, José Andrés

Date Published: September 11, 2018

Format: Print

Source: Library

Date Read: April 30 - May 5, 2019

 

Blurb

Chef José Andrés arrived in Puerto Rico four days after Hurricane Maria ripped through the island. The economy was destroyed and for most people there was no clean water, no food, no power, no gas, and no way to communicate with the outside world.

Andrés addressed the humanitarian crisis the only way he knew how: by feeding people, one hot meal at a time. From serving sancocho with his friend José Enrique at Enrique’s ravaged restaurant in San Juan to eventually cooking 100,000 meals a day at more than a dozen kitchens across the island, Andrés and his team fed hundreds of thousands of people, including with massive paellas made to serve thousands of people alone.. At the same time, they also confronted a crisis with deep roots, as well as the broken and wasteful system that helps keep some of the biggest charities and NGOs in business.

Based on Andrés’s insider’s take as well as on meetings, messages, and conversations he had while in Puerto Rico, We Fed an Island movingly describes how a network of community kitchens activated real change and tells an extraordinary story of hope in the face of disasters both natural and man-made, offering suggestions for how to address a crisis like this in the future. 
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Review

 

I come from an emergency management background, as that was my job in the Air Force, so I was coming from that perspective to this book rather than a foodie who wanted to read a book from a chef. I would like to nominate Chef Andres for the top job of running FEMA after reading this book. FEMA is an unwiedly, bloated government agency that can't find its way even with a map and GPS and a guide person. But this book also solidified my decision not to support the Red Cross whenever they do their disaster campaigns and look to other organizations to support or just a local bank fund to give to. 

 

It was telling that Chef Andres and his team/non-profit had experience in disaster relief (especially on islands) and had a what he, Chef Andres himself, described as a more "libertarian" response to feeding Puerto Ricans and that it was surprising to him that the conservatives back in Washington, DC didn't see that and support him. It showed that nobody gave a damn about Puerto Rico and that the government needs to overhaul it's disaster management and response, starting with FEMA.

 

Highly recommend.