Chef Jose Andres is making sure the thousands of National Guardsmen securing Washington, D.C., ahead of Inauguration Day are well-fed for their service.
Andres, who owns several local staples in the city, posted a video of kitchen staff preparing meals for the D.C. National Guardsmen and first responders this weekend.
“Hey everyone…just finished delivering hot stews to some of the National Guard & others on this rainy night in DC,” Andres tweeted earlier in the week. “I know there’s a lot of concern about the Guard…but our city & many restaurants are making sure everyone is taken care of!”
Andres’s team was seen packing boxed lunches in a video, along with roast beef sandwiches and vegetable stew.
Sandwich and hot meal prep under way this morning for our National Guard and other first responders in DC! On the menu: Roast beef, sun-dried tomato with basil aioli on ciabatta ? & tomato braised vegetable stew with cannelloni beans ? (plus a version with chicken!) #ChefsForDC pic.twitter.com/q3CPaMLa0p
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) January 16, 2021
The chef has long been an advocate for ending world hunger, and in 2019, Andres and his wife founded World Central Kitchen, an organization that aims to provide food for under-served communities.
Andres’s efforts were praised by lawmakers, some of who joined him in distributing meals. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democratic California Rep. Mike Thompson, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams were seen handing out the hot meals to the guardsmen.
As Inauguration Day approaches, Washington, D.C., has stepped up its security measures after a pro-Trump rally on Jan. 6 led to a riot at the U.S. Capitol, which left five people dead. About 20,000 National Guard troops are expected to be on-site for Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.
President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in, along with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, on Wednesday. President Trump said he will not attend and will leave D.C. before the events begin.
Today, it was my honor to join @chefjoseandres and @WCKitchen to provide meals to our heroic National Guard troops who are keeping our Congressional community safe during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/aqJ1JEwumA
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 16, 2021
Honored to join @chefjoseandres to help feed the national guard troops stationed around the Capitol keeping us safe. These troops are sleeping on the floor and standing in the rain to help keep our Capitol safe and safeguard our democracy and we are forever grateful to them. pic.twitter.com/F5qxpSk9Ch
— Mike (Wear A Mask) Thompson (@RepThompson) January 17, 2021
In downtown DC handing out meals with my friend @chefjoseandres
please remember, if we focus on what unites us and rise above what divides us, we can defeat any enemy! pic.twitter.com/lCl2BSKFwb
— U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) January 17, 2021
