The Spanish chef José Andrés received this Saturday in a ceremony the highest civilian honor of the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from the hands of the outgoing president of the United States, Joe Biden.
“With his unmatched personality and heart, José Andrés teaches us that there is a place for everyone at the table,” said the presenter of the ceremony, just before the president proceeded to present the medal.
The medal is awarded to people “who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or other important social, public or private efforts,” as recalled by the White House in an announcement advanced by the American media.
“For the last time as president I have the honor of awarding the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor of our nation, to a group of extraordinary people who gave their efforts to shape the culture and cause of the United States,” said the president-elect in the inaugural speech.
José Andrés was joined by 18 other personalities from politics and culture, such as the footballer Lionel Messi – who did not attend the ceremony -, the actors Michael J. Fox and Denzel Washington, the basketball player Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, the singer Bono, the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the financier George Soros.
José Andrés is the creator of World Central Kitchen, a non-governmental organization dedicated to supplying food around the world that emerged in 2010 following the earthquake that hit Haiti that year, with the aim of providing food aid in countries suffering from food crises.
The organization expanded and although it initially focused on resilience programs, it began to provide food aid services to refugees and people from countries in conflict.
