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A30 FEATURE/ARTS & PEOPLE
Thursday 9 april 2020
Celeb chefs unite to feed hungry, help bleeding restaurants

By KELLI KENNEDY Even in crisis, these top
Associated Press chefs aren't serving bland
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. porridge. Recent meals at
(AP) — When Jose Andres senior centers in Washing-
first came to New York City, ton, D.C., included creamy
the wide-eyed sailor in tomato pasta with spring
the Spanish navy docked vegetables, and cilan-
on West 30th Street full of tro rice bowls with spiced
ambition. Decades later, chickpeas and spinach
the award-winning chef topped with citrus vinai-
has an upscale food hall grette and crispy tortillas.
on that very street and Andres was among the first
will serve 40,000 meals this to close his restaurants in
week across the city where Spain, hoping to create a
he built his dreams, and blueprint for chefs around
which is now the U.S. epi- the world on how to use
center of the coronavirus. their restaurants and em-
Andres, whose restaurants ploy workers while feeding
in the United States include the hungry.
"This operation is growing
every day," he said. "We
Derek Fleming, right, a business partner with chef Marcus Samuelsson, controls the crowd outside want to put America to
of their Red Rooster Restaurant as people wait in line for a free meal during the new coronavirus work in the process of feed-
pandemic, Monday, April 6, 2020, in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami. ing America."
Associated Press.
In California, Fieri is on
The Bazaar, Jaleo and quarantined cruise ship Press in a recent phone in- standby, ready with a
the two Michelin-starred passengers. terview. 48-foot-long rescue kitchen
Somni, founded World Andres has amassed an In New York City, he set up and support team. "Guy is
Central Kitchen in 2010. It A-list network around the a cafe to serve the Mount ready to go," Andres said.
has served over 15 million world, relying on celeb- Sinai field hospital in Cen- "This is like war. You need to
meals worldwide after hur- rity chef pals including Ra- tral Park. In Harlem, he's have troops ready for ac-
ricanes, wildfires and other chael Ray, Guy Fieri and using "Chopped" TV judge tion."
disasters. Marcus Samuelsson to to Samuelsson's Red Rooster Fieri compared his long-
Since the pandemic, his or- feed the hungry and buoy restaurant to feed families. time friendship with Andres
ganization has served more the humble restaurant Samuelsson's Miami restau- and other famous chefs to
than 750,000 meals from kitchens across America rant hasn't opened to the "playing in a band.
Miami and Los Angeles to where many started their public yet, but instead of "When you hang out with
Little Rock, Arkansas and careers. leaving it empty, he turned generous, philanthropist
Fairfax, Virginia. It works "I'm in debt to America ... it over to World Central warlords like Jose Andres,
out of places like libraries, that's the best I can give to Kitchen. They are serving all you want to do is go big-
food trucks and shuttered America because America sandwiches and salads ger, go better," said Fieri,
restaurants, feeding 125 gave me a home. America there to laid-off hospitality who cooked alongside An-
hospitals, students in school gave me opportunity," An- workers, homeless residents dres during last year's Cali-
lunch programs and even dres told The Associated and Uber drivers. fornia wildfires.q

Bocelli: It’s not a concert for coronavirus, it’s a prayer

demic, but the Italian tenor The performance, though,
says it's not a concert. In- will air live on Bocelli's You-
stead, he calls it a "prayer." Tube channel at 1 p.m.
"I received this invitation Eastern.
by the mayor of Milan and He's crafted and arranged
by the authorities of the a special set for the event,
church and of course I an- which will include holy
swered yes. I'm very happy songs like "Ave Maria" and
to do this," he said. "Also, "Sancta Maria."
it's not a performance. It's "I chose some of the most
not a concert. It's only a beautiful pieces of sacred
prayer." artists and I will sing this kind
"I will go there to pray, and of music," Bocelli said in a
I'd like to think that every- phone interview Wednes-
one listening to me sing day from his home in Forte
can pray with me," he said. dei Marmi, a seaside town
Accompanied by organist in northern Tuscany.
In this Oct. 29, 2015 file photo, Andrea Bocelli poses for a portrait Emanuele Vianelli, Bocelli In total, Italy has more than
in New York. will sing at the historic ca- 135,00 confirmed cases
Associated Press. thedral for an audience of and over 16,500 deaths
By MESFIN FEKADU mo of Milan on Easter Sun- none because the Duomo, from the COVID-19 out-
AP Music Writer day sending a message of like most public places, break. The European coun-
NEW YORK (AP) — Andrea love and hope to the world are closed because of the try is in its fifth week of a na-
Bocelli will sing at the Duo- during the coronavirus pan- spreading coronavirus. tionwide lockdown.q