We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time
The true story of how a group of chefs fed hundreds of thousands of hungry Americans after Hurricane Maria and touched the hearts of many more.
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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Richard Wolffe is U.S. diplomatic correspondent for the Financial Times and deputy bureau chief in Washington, D.C.
Over the last few years he has reported extensively on the presidential election, concentrating on the Bush campaign. Other stories he has covered in depth include the Microsoft antitrust trial and the campaign for Holocaust compensation.
Richard joined the Financial Times in 1994. Before moving to DC, he worked as a national reporter in the UK covering a wide news beat, including the 1997 general election and IRA terrorist attacks on the mainland.
A graduate from Oxford University, his career prior to the Financial Times included news reporting for London's Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph as well as regional news reporting in Brighton, Sussex.
His freelance work includes CNN, the BBC and The New Republic. He has also appeared on The NewsHour on PBS, MSNBC and Fox News, as well as a series of international media including CBC and Deutsche Welle.
Richard lives in Washington with his wife, Paula Cuello, and their young daughter, Ilana. Born in September 1968, he grew up in Birmingham, England.
Lin-Manuel Miranda is an American composer, lyricist, librettist, rapper, and actor, best known for creating and starring in the Broadway musicals Hamilton and In the Heights. He was named one of 100 Most Influential People of 2016 by Time.com. He is a Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist. As an on-screen actor, he has appeared in The Sopranos, House, Modern Family, The Sex and the City Movie, and The Odd Life of Timothy Green. His reading of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe won him an AudioFile Earphones Award.
Jose Andres' work to build a massive relief operation from the ground up after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico was nothing short of miraculous-and a powerful reminder that we all have a responsibility to do what we can to help one another in times of need.
-- "President Bill Clinton"In the days and weeks after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, Jose Andres seemed to always be in constant motion-cooking, cajoling, inspiring, doing whatever it took to feed as many people as possible. I saw the results of his, and his volunteers', work firsthand, but it's only in the pages of this book that the scale of their contribution becomes clear. What an amazing story!
-- "Anderson Cooper"This lovely, energizing story from Michelin-starred chef Andres and his frequent cookbook coauthor Wolffe provides an antidote to passivity and cynicism...A powerful story of the impact a well-meaning group can have on the world.
-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"An earthshaking report on Hurricane Maria's catastrophic aftermath and a hopeful and determined look toward preventing similar failures in the future.
-- "Booklist (starred review)"A passionate and courageous story that should be required reading for anyone involved in disaster response.
-- "Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"
