Universitat de València’s Gastronomic Science Degree collaborates with NGO WCK founded by chef José Andrés to support the 29 October DANA victims in damaged regions. Students will actively participate in cooking and distributing warm meals. Not only does this act contribute to the community, it also means a valuable education experience in a great scale kitchen, a vital part of the professional development in the gastronomic industry.

Solidarity in action: Students take the stage

Port of València’s Tinglado 2 has become a teamwork and solidarity point. WCK cooks over 14 000 warm meals daily for the victims of the heavy rain. In collaboration with the NGO, UV students are learning great scale cooking along with true solidarity and community service.
World Central Kitchen has delivered over 3 350 000 meals already. Such numbers show WCK’s effort and its will to reduce the natural disaster effects by providing support to the victims.

UV Gastronomic Science Degree coordinator Carla Soler explains how this collaboration came to be: “The idea came from UV’s Office of the Vice-Principal for Sustainability, Cooperation and Healthy Life, that mentioned the chance to collaborate, so we decided to take this great chance. Students come in groups of 8 to 10 each day and help out in anything needed, from cooking to plating and even logistic”.
Soler mentions that students are getting more than just cooking experience, they’re having a deeply human and transforming experience: “This is much more than just cooking. It is solidarity. Students came thinking they were only going to cook, but realized that this is so much more. They welcomed us as part of their team and our students have fully integrated. They can feel what it’s like to belong to a cooking team and the experience gained is huge”.

Practical and human learning

UV students are contributing with their work and learning at the same time, receiving education on large scale cooking, a crucial piece of their professional future. Lluís Meseguer, Gastronomic Science Degree student, shares his view on this project: “I am from Sueca. I helps cleaning the mud out of Algemesí, an affected zone I could access to from Sueca. I couldn’t get anywhere else since mobility was limited. I keep helping, but in other way: by cooking for people who can’t do so since they don’t have gas or water service in their houses or markets near them”.

“It is a gratifying job, you know you’re working for a good cause”, he added. “I would recommend for anyone who can to come and collaborate. As Gastronomic Science students we’re also learning a lot. We usually get small scale cooking experience, in restaurants that hold up to 40 customers. We’re serving 14 thousand meals daily, it’s unbelievable. It’s been a really positive experience”.

Gastronomic Science Degree Fourth Year student Clara Sofía Pradas, who aims for a R+D+I carrer, describes her work at Tinglado 2: “We get here early in the morning. Kitchen heads gives us our commands and organise us to start cooking huge paellas. We stir fry vegetables and meat, add water, rice and stir the ingredients with giant spoons. It’s physically-demanding since everything is large-scale. After the paellas, we cook stew and after lunch is ready, we start with dinner. We stop by 14:00pm but some volunteers stay until 16:00pm”.

For Clara, the reward beats the hardships: “It is hard, but gratifying. It’s really worth it. You end up tired but you know you are working for those who need it”.

Collaboration beyond cooking

The UV-WCK collaboration is an example of how higher education promotes solidarity and social commitment. Students are gaining technical and practical skills while helping to the recovery of the affected towns.

Carla Soler concludes: “This is human and professional learning that will leave a mark on our students and the people they are helping. We Universitat de València wanted our students to become an active part of the recovery, we wanted to help with anything we could, to improve our students’ education, gastronomical knowledge and the experience of large-scale cooking”.

Each meal is not just food, it’s hope and commitment. UV students are helping with their effort to the recovery of towns, showing how gastronomy can be a powerful tool to support the community in times of need.