A Plate of Hope

December 11, 2023
Leaning into themes of community, imagination, and storytelling, this concept-driven biography of a chef renowned for global disaster relief efforts traces how he came to feed “the few AND the many.” As a boy in Spain, José Andrés (b. 1969) tended the fire that cooked his family’s paella, but he wanted to do more, including re-creating his mother’s flan, whose “cool spoonful... told a story to his senses.” Later, at culinary school, he imagined “the stories that he wanted to tell with food.” After his work in New York City and Washington, D.C., garnered fame, Andrés’s volunteering at a D.C. soup kitchen and cooking in Haiti following an earthquake leads to his founding World Central Kitchen for those experiencing disasters, including Huracán María. An italicized Spanish refrain (“No era solo”) emphasizes the idea that it isn’t just one experience or person but many moments and individuals that lead to success. Focusing on scenes of people and food, Escobar’s luscious digital images add visual savor via colorful spirals of enticing aromas. An author’s note and photographs conclude. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from December 1, 2023
Nobel Peace Prize nominee and chef Jos� Andr�s strives to feed the world. For Andr�s, cooking has always been about more than food. Growing up in Asturias, Spain, he learned that cooking is about people, and when he began working as a chef on a navy ship, fresh out of cooking school, he had a far greater goal than feeding sailors: He wanted everyone around the world to have enough to eat. Even when Andr�s moved to the U.S. and became renowned for his food, he sought ways to use his talent to help others, a mission that took him from a D.C. soup kitchen to a humanitarian mission to Haiti to the foundation of his own NGO, World Central Kitchen. The refrain "It wasn't just" ("the rice," "a restaurant," "a trip") helps readers learn to look beyond the surface of things, to discover new possibilities, surprises, and opportunities, even in the face of tragedy. At times Andr�s' biography seems to be pressed into the service of U.S. patriotism, but the message of collectivism beyond borders saves the book from an overemphasis on American individualism. The engaging story is perfectly paired with gorgeous, whimsical illustrations full of color and texture that vividly convey emotion and add nuance to the text. Lush illustrations and a captivating narrative make this biography shine. (author's note about Jos� Andr�s, selected bibliography, photos) (Picture-book biography. 4-8)

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January 1, 2024
Grades 1-3 Readers will be encouraged to think big and make connections between their dreams and the needs they encounter in this story of a Nobel Peace Prize-nominated chef. Both as a busy boy and a professional chef, Jos� Andr�s never accepted things as is. When he made paella in his Spanish hometown, "No es solo el arroz"--it wasn't just rice. And when he was invited by a friend to help cook for Haitian earthquake victims, it wasn't just a trip. Instead, it made cooking a way for Andr�s to spread nourishment, with the tale ending with the chef's World Central Kitchen charity serving almost four million meals in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. This optimistic, jaunty text can serve multiple needs: it's a story of an immigrant making it in the U.S. and elsewhere; a tale of kindness and giving; and a look at how perseverance and hope can conquer tough obstacles. The colorful digital images of Andr�s, his family, and his work sometimes show stilted expressions, but overall, this will be a fun addition to social-studies shelves. Simultaneously publishing in Spanish, un plato de esperanza.

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