The renowned chef will be providing food for those in need of a meal from the back of some of his DC restaurants.
The owner of Jaleo announced last Sunday, Mar 15, he was shutting down all of his DC venues and turning some of them into community kitchens that will provide meals for those who need them during the quarantine.
People of America…Important News: All my restaurants in DC area are closed until further notice. Here at @ThinkFoodGroup safety of employees & guests is too priority. Some restaurants will transform into Community Kitchens to offer to-go lunches for those who need a meal. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/3HTyT607ZI
— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) March 15, 2020
“These Community Kitchens will be part of @WCKitchen efforts across the country in the coming days & weeks. Not for enjoyment….but a service for people in need of a plate of food during this emergency,” tweeted out the Spanish-American chef. “We are in an unprecedented emergency…and as painful as it is, ALL restaurants, bars, etc. must be closed across America if we are to avoid what’s happening in other countries. This is the only way.”
Some of the locations operating community kitchen’s from their side doors include all three Jaleo locations, Oyamel and Zaytinia. Meanwhile, minibar, barmini and China Chilcano will remain closed until further notice. The community kitchens will be opening on Tuesday and will have some outdoor seating for those who need a place to eat their meals at.
Chef José Andrés is no stranger to lending out a helping hand during times of crisis. With his foundation World Central Kitchen, the famous chef has previously helped feed those affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and those affected by Cyclone Idai in Mozambique. More recently, World Central Kitchen also provided meals for passengers trapped in the corona-virus afflicted Japanese cruise ship.
Last year, WCK activated in Mozambique following Cyclone Idai. With support from local team members, we served more than 365,000 meals to camps housing displaced families, schools and hospitals, and clinics caring for individuals amid a cholera outbreak. #ChefsForMozambique https://t.co/A6TdKDhPb8 pic.twitter.com/9jD8TkHDnA
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) March 15, 2020
José Andrés and the Think Food Group aren’t alone in the effort of helping our local community and those members who are most in need. Just last week Mark Bucher, owner of Medium Rare, announced his restaurants would be delivering contactless meals to those over 70 in the DC, MD and VA metropolitan areas. Several other DC-based restaurants such as Po Boy Jim and Milk & Honey have also launched aid programs and are giving out free meals for kids and free breakfast for homebound students respectively.
Feature image: @jaleobyjose