Bethesda Chef José Andrés: Puerto Ricans 'Hungry And Thirsty'

BETHESDA, MD — World-renowned chef and owner of Bethesda's Jaleo, José Andrés, has been in Puerto Rico for weeks helping out after Hurricane Maria rocked the island. Recently, Andrés slammed the U.S. government for "leaving the people of Puerto Rico hungry and thirsty."

The Washington, DC-based celebrity chef along with volunteers from his nonprofit World Central Kitchen have been on the ground in Puerto Rico since Sept. 26 and are working to feed 100,000 people daily. Andrés said they have served over 350,000 meals through a combination of emergency kitchens and food trucks.

Andrés called out the U.S. government and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which he dubbed the "most inefficient place on earth," in a tweet this week.

Andrés held a press conference on what he called the "food crisis" in Puerto Rico Wednesday morning, where he pushed FEMA to go further. He said FEMA is delivering slightly over 2,000 meals a day, "and that's being generous," he said.

"At least 1.8 million Americans are going hungry still every day in the richest country on the face of the planet, and that's wrong," Andrés said at the press conference.

Three weeks after Maria hit the island, fewer than 20 percent of Puerto Ricans have electricity, and the government says it hopes to have electricity restored completely by March.

>> See Related: Jaleo Owner Chef Jose Andres Feeds Thousands In Puerto Rico

At least 45 people have died, and many critics have argued that the administration's response was not as quick or extensive as was necessary. Though Trump has boasted about the "amazing" relief efforts, and Gov. Ricardo Rosselló has praised the administration for its efforts, reporters on the ground have shown residents with inadequate access to water, power, food, diesel and medical care, many of whom felt abandoned by the government.

Andrés has Tweeted his own suggestions at Trump from the island:

Jaleo, located at 7271 Woodmont Avenue, is run by chef and owner Andrés, who immigrated from Spain and later became a U.S. citizen. He famously dropped out of a deal with President Donald Trump to open a restaurant at Trump International Hotel in Washington in protest of the president's characterization of Mexicans as drug dealers and rapists; the duo are fighting it out in court.

Andrés and his team are making sure to hit rural areas such as Utuabo, where residents are getting their first hot meal in three weeks.

"By relying on local businesses, chefs, and volunteers, World Central Kitchen has acted quickly and effectively to provide nutritious, chef-prepared meals to thousands of families relying on this support as the island begins to rebuild," a news release on the World Central Kitchen site states.

Many people have taken to Twitter to express their gratitude for Andrés:

Image via World Central Kitchen YouTube video