"We Feed People" -- A Great Documentary

José Andrés is famous for his restaurants and for World Central Kitchen, an organization that has established emergency kitchens after natural disasters caused food emergencies. A recently released documentary, “We Feed People,” describes how Andrés and his dedicated coworkers created operations after the Puerto Rico hurricane, the Haiti earthquake, the Guatemala volcanic eruption, covid's effects on the Navaho Nation and on American cities, and other disasters. The scenes of total destruction and the sufferings of the victims are overpowering, but the ability of World Central Kitchen to offer humanitarian and empathetic help are inspiring.

The documentary offers an absolutely wonderful view of Andrés, a dedicated and successful chef. He could have simply enjoyed fame, success, and wealth from his restaurants. He could have stayed at home with his wife and children -- but the documentary shows how he constantly left them to help those in need. I've eaten in a few of his restaurants in Washington, DC, so I know what a talented restaurateur and chef he is. But he did so much more! 

I was already aware of World Central Kitchen and its unconventional way of creating feeding operations when much better-funded organizations like the Red Cross and FEMA allowed themselves to be enmired in bureaucratic nonsense. I was aware of the way that WCK always tried to create meals that satisfied the foodways of the local people, and I enjoyed the way the filmmakers stressed this commitment. The drama of overcoming the challenges of driving trucks and delivery vehicles into rushing water or just-erupted volcanic fields or desert roads to out-of-the way villages was exciting and fun to watch, but always with sadness for the victims. I enjoyed the visual detail and the emotional intensity shown in almost every scene.

I loved the cooking scenes!

The documentary was finished before World Central Kitchen's current efforts in the Ukrainian war areas and in the refugee camps just outside the Ukrainian borders. The fact that Russia is creating victims intentionally, and causing suffering like that from natural disasters must make these volunteers really mad. It makes me mad.

Official description: "WE FEED PEOPLE, from Oscar-winning director Ron Howard, spotlights renowned chef José Andrés and his nonprofit World Central Kitchen’s incredible mission and evolution over 12 years, from being a scrappy group of grassroots volunteers to becoming one of the most highly regarded humanitarian aid organizations in the disaster relief sector."

Review © 2022 mae sander. Images from the trailer.