ANDRÉS TORRES
parents to cook with what they have available.” His immersive approach
to working with these communities; means that whenever he has taken the organization to a new country he has spent time living there. He lived for years in rural areas of Colombia, in Peru, Jordan, India and Bolivia. “To properly know a culture,
you have to live with the people and earn their trust and the credibility,” he says. “When a farmer gets up at
5am you need to be there with him at 5am to show that you are there side by side. It’s not good enough to get up at 10, pat them on the back, say ‘well done’.” Developing countries who
need help are often sceptical to new arrivals, he explains. “Tey need to know who we are – they are poor, but they have dignity.” Te €100,000 prize money
that comes with the BCWP, it will go on a project to expand the network of school dining halls in Peru.
The BCWP prize money will help to expand the network of school dining halls in Perú
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“To properly know a culture, you have to live with the people and earn thier trust and the credibility”
PARALLEL UNIVERSES
Now, three decades into the work, he concedes that it feels different to make the trips to often risky and dangerous areas. “When I was younger, I
didn’t think about the risks, but now I am older, I have daughters and I experience this internal struggle. I live a lot of different realities; I meet many people who suffer; then I get back home and friends tell me they have a headache, or don’t know how to pay the mortgage. “I think, ‘if only you could see what I see on my travels’.” It is difficult to navigate
this duality. “Tey are parallel universes, but we are in the same world. We have to realize that we are all in the same world and anything can happen at any moment. We need to be
prepared and above all show solidarity,” he says. “How can it be that there
are children in the world who are hungry and don’t have anything to eat? Tat work falls to us in the non-profit sector.” No matter the weariness
or increased alertness to the risks he face, he says making a difference to the world drives him on – as if to prove this point, before he goes, he tells the story of a Syrian boy who had been kidnapped by fundamentalists and forced to join them in their atrocities. Torres and his team managed to rescue him and brought him to Spain where he underwent surgery. “He had lost a leg in an explosion, but he learned to walk with a prosthetic leg and the boy today works with Global Humanitaria, focusing on deradicalizing children,” he says. “If we can make that difference, we keep going.” He is still working with the same people he started the organization with. “We started this when we were younger and now we all have kids,” he says. “We’ll keep going as long as the body lets us.”
BCWP: A PRIZE FOR SOCIAL COMMITMENT The Basque Culinary World Prize was launched by the Basque Culinary Centre in Spain to recognize chefs who make an impact beyond the kitchen. Andrés Torres is the ninth recipient to be awarded the €100,000 prize since launch, following in the footsteps of chefs including Leonor Espinosa and José Andrés.
“Gastronomy is a dynamic force that evolves and adapts to new contexts and changing needs. In today’s world, more than ever, we need individuals who, through their talent, work, and above all, their actions, demonstrate how gastronomy can be a powerful tool for social transformation,” concludes Joxe Mari Aizega, director of the Basque Culinary Center. “BCWP, in its ninth edition, continues to shine a light on exemplary cases of positive change and societal impact.”
FOR MORE GO TO
FCSI.ORG
GLOBAL HUMANITARIA
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