ANDRÉS TORRES O
n a video call from Spain, chef Andrés Torres is getting ready to pack his bags; the next day he is heading to Syria
where he and his team will cook for 500 kids who lost limbs in the war. “We cook a nice meal for them and give them a day to enjoy,” he says. It is a safe bet that his
passport is within easy reach. Torres travels a lot to countries across the world where his not- for-profit organization Global Humanitaria has set up projects to make sure children and their families don’t go hungry. He decided to start Global
Humanitaria 30 years ago when life as a war correspondent began to wear him out. “I spent a lot of time in conflict zones, covering the news with media outlets in Spain, but I started to feel like I was using those stories of people who were suffering, just to write the news,” he says.
“It left me feeling a bit empty.” He knew it was important
to continue telling those stories but chose a different path. “I wanted to create that conscience in people – show them that there are things happening in the world and we need to help,” he explains.
SOLIDARITY THROUGH STORIES
Global Humanitaria, started out with small projects in a few countries. Over the years Torres has expanded and grown the organization and today it works across 12 countries in community projects that touch on education, health and food. Tis year, his work has been recognized with the Basque Culinary World Prize (BCWP), which was set up to celebrate chefs who make a difference in society beyond the kitchen. In parallel, he has since opened a fine dining restaurant in his home region of Penedes, an area in northeastern Spain that is famous for its wine. “I bought an old chicken farm and did all the work to convert it and remodel it into a restaurant,” he explains. Casa Nova, which serves two tasting menus to just five tables, is focused on sustainability and sharing the message of solidarity that is at the core of Global Humanitaria.
It holds a Michelin Green
Star for its sustainability credentials and Casa Nova is a natural extension of Global Humanitaria, implementing
Left: Andrés Torres on location with Global Humantaria; Top right: the Casa Nova dining room
“I wanted to show people that there are things happening in the world – we need to help”
cooking methods and ideas from the communities Torres and his team work in while amplifying the humanitarian message – “I make sure that we tell guests the stories behind the food and that people leave feeling a sense of solidarity,” he says. He shares that message of
solidarity through the stories he tells diners. “Right now it is very trendy to speak about sustainability, but we have always been 100% sustainable. We work the way I learned in the communities. For example, we have a project in Guatemala working with mothers; we set up cooperatives with them to make chocolate. In the restaurant we replicate how they work – peeling the cacao manually and toasting it. It is all artisanal.” Tough he never underwent
any formal culinary schooling, his love for cooking means that he has instinctively picked up his skills and knowledge over time. “I have always loved cooking and when I travelled – even as a journalist – I cooked with people; it is what I enjoy the most. It has always been a hobby but for the past 15 years it has been my profession; always allied with sustainability and solidarity.” While acknowledging that
there are lofty ambitions to many humanitarian projects, he says the one unifying element is that everybodyin the world needs to eat and the focus of Global Humanitaria is above all on the food. Te principal outlet is
school dining rooms, set up to ensure children who come to school receive a plate of food before going home – and where in many cases parents might take children out of school to work, the approach ensures they instead send them to school safe in the knowledge they will get fed. “We bring the families
into projects and we teach the > 19
WORLDWIDE
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