José Andrés' Sweet Tribute To President Zelensky After He Was Named TIME's Person Of The Year
Volodymyr Zelensky and "The Spirit of Ukraine" have been named 2022's TIME Person of the Year given Zelensky's presidential dedication to the country of Ukraine during the war with Russia. "Zelensky's success as a wartime leader has relied on the fact that courage is contagious. It spread through Ukraine's political leadership in the first days of the invasion, as everyone realized the President had stuck around," TIME wrote of his bravery and commitment.
Another person who has shown bravery and commitment is José Andrés, whose World Central Kitchen organization goes into areas hit by natural disasters or torn apart by humanitarian crises or war. He and the organization have been on hand to help the Ukrainians. A November 2022 Tweet from World Central Kitchen noted that the volunteers had served almost 180 million meals to Ukrainians since being in the country since February.
"... our team is humbled to work side by side with Ukrainians to feed Ukrainians," the Tweet stated. The mission wasn't even deterred when its restaurant in Kharkiv was hit by a missile. "Giving food in the middle of a senseless war is an act of courage, resilience, resistance ... and we will continue cooking," Andrés tweeted in Spanish, here translated by the Wall Street Journal.
Andrés has been applauded for his work in Ukraine, including being awarded the Order of Merit from President Zelensky, but yesterday, after Zelensky was announced Person of the Year, he had some congratulations of his own to give.
José Andrés salutes friend and hero Volodymyr Zelensky
José Andrés and President Volodymyr Zelensky have worked together throughout the crisis to help the Ukrainian people, and when Zelensky was named TIME's Person of the Year, Andrés took to Instagram to share "well-deserved" best wishes for his new friend.
"You and the people of Ukraine are heroes to so many around the world. It has been the honor of a lifetime that with @WCKitchen I have worked side by side with you and the people of Ukraine ... I have seen over & over the Spirit of Ukraine ... it is incredible and I am humbled [by] what I've seen, Ukrainians feeding Ukrainians, bringing hope one plate of food at a time!" Andrés captioned a series of pics including a shot of him and Zelensky and volunteers of World Central Kitchen alongside Ukrainians.
Instagrammers took to the comments to share their own thoughts, including @jacquespepinfoundation, which wrote, "Amazing. Thank you." Others conveyed their awe for Andrés, as well, such as @ruggedelegant_jen" who commented, "You helped President Zelenskyy become the rock star he is. You have one of the biggest heart[s]. Your face should be one of the faces on the cover of Time."