José Andrés Charity World Central Kitchen Appoints New CEO

World Central Kitchen (WCK), the charitable organization founded by chef José Andrés that has served nearly 300 million meals to communities in need in more than 45 countries, has announced that Erin Gore will be taking the reins as chief executive officer. For almost four years, Gore has led WCK’s philanthropic relationships and development team, and most recently served as WCK’s interim co-executive leader.

“Erin’s vision and extensive leadership experience at nonprofits, alongside her deep history and understanding of WCK, will serve as an invaluable resource as we continue our growth and respond to an increasing number of global crises each year,” said WCK chairman and co-founder Rob Wilder, in an email to WCK supporters.

In her new role, Gore will work alongside WCK’s executive leadership team—including Andrés, WCK’s Chief Feeding Officer—as well as WCK’s Relief Team to mobilize quickly to cook and serve meals around the world.

Andrés co-founded WCK with Wilder in response to the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The goal was simple—feed people when they are most in need. Since then, Andrés and an army of volunteers, often partnering with local chefs and restaurateurs, have fed people during crises as varied as Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, a volcanic eruption in Guatemala, and across the world during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, WCK has been bringing food to communities across Ukraine and earthquake survivors in Turkey.

Chef José Andrés is World Central Kitchen’s “Chief Feeding Officer” and Erin Gore is his new CEO for the chairty group. (Courtesy World Central Kitchen/WCK.org)

Gore will help WCK continue to grow and attract the financial support it needs. “I’m incredibly honored to step into the CEO role and to help lead such an impactful NGO through this significant time of growth,” said Gore in a statment. “Our mission of providing meals in times of crisis is more important than ever, and WCK is uniquely suited to quickly fill critical gaps and extreme needs in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. I look forward to guiding this incredible team to meet the increasing and evolving needs of communities around the world.” Before WCK, Gore held leadership positions at several non-profits including Malala Fund and Share Our Strength.

In 2020, the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation made a $250,000 donation to World Central Kitchen to support its mission of feeding people in need. You can support World Central Kitchen at their website.