Chef Corps members buoy their communities and make WCK more nimble around the world by:Being on standby to connect our Response Team to their networks and resources when we respond in their region.Empowering WCK to get cooking as quickly as possible and best serve local communities with dignity.Volunteering on the ground or preparing meals as restaurant partners.Advising WCK on key facets of our operations. Serving as ambassadors of our mission.Amplifying WCK’s mission around the world. Fundraising to bring in the financial support WCK needs to respond to more crises.
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WCK Responses Supported
When we need to take care of the health of people, who do we send? Doctors and nurses. When we need to rebuild homes, who do we send? Architects and engineers. Well, when we need to feed people, we should send cooks like me.
Chef José Andrés (pictured with Chef Corps Member Sanjeev Kapoor)
Why BBQ Makes the Ideal Post-Disaster Meal
When the moment calls for comfort food, World Central Kitchen often serves something cooked low and slow. Following severe storms in the southeastern US, Chef Corps members stepped up to prepare meals specialize in barbecue.
Nine Chef Corps members cook with their whole hearts in LA
Chef Corps members have the big responsibility of helping us get cooking as quickly as possible after crises. That’s exactly what happened when deadly wildfires ripped through greater Los Angeles, forever changing Southern California.
WCK reached Asheville almost immediately after Hurricane Helene hit and simultaneously began problem solving and providing meals. Meet members of our Chef Corps cooking in Asheville.
Daniel Shemtob
Many chefs we partner with, like Daniel Shemtob of our Chef Corps, are directly impacted by the crises we respond to. They have a deep understanding of what their neighbors are going through, and they show up. Their empathy and drive shine through in the food they prepare, even under the most challenging circumstances.
Chef Kim Prince
The Chef Corps name is the embodiment of food and hospitality workers lending their time, talent, and treasure for the greater good of humanity.
Chef Belinda Bishop
My inspiration to join WCK’s Chef Corps stemmed from a belief in the power of food as a catalyst for change. Witnessing the challenges faced by communities in the wake of disasters and various crises ignited a passion within me to contribute meaningfully.
Chef Travis Milton
As devoted chefs, we don’t just love to cook, we love to cook for people — it’s our love language — so putting that to use in a helpful way has always been a natural thought and action for me.
Chef Marc Murphy
Chefs feed people. That’s our job in life. We get joy out of feeding people, no matter the circumstance. I felt like I had a skill that was needed and was lucky enough that WCK was there so I could make a difference.
Chef Kelsey Barnard Clark
I have experienced a lot of hurricanes and tornadoes and it is the little things right after it happens that makes the biggest difference. 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.
Chef Luis Martinez
I’m grateful for people that don’t have a connection to a place who are willing to give whatever they have—time, energy, money—to help people. It doesn’t matter if you speak the language or if you have the same religion or skin color, you’re there to help. That is one of the things that will stay with me for a while.
Chef Peter Abarcar
I want to give them comfort food that is balanced and filling. All locally grown and sourced. We love these types of meals in Hawaiʻi.
Chef Roberto De La Fuente
Our small contribution makes a difference. By setting an example, we can inspire many people around us.
Meet Our Collaborator: Worldchefs
Worldchefs and World Central Kitchen are joining forces to proactively position chefs to play a powerful role in disaster response across the globe. This collaboration will enable dedicated culinary professionals affiliated with Worldchefs’ member associations to be appointed to join WCK’s Chef Corps. Worldchefs (The World Association of Chefs Societies) is a global network of chef associations first founded in October 1928 at the Sorbonne in Paris. Learn more about them here. This global body has over 100 official member chef associations that represent millions of professionals worldwide.
Dining and Cooking