Anantara and World Central Kitchen Respond to COVID-19 Crisis in Spain

Anantara Villa Padierna Palace Resort, located in Spain’s Costa del Sol, is partnering with World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization started by well-known Spanish chef José Andrés. The resort is the latest hotel to provide supplies and a kitchen to support those in need during the coronavirus pandemic.

Spain’s economy and population have been battered by COVID-19, and many hotels are stepping forward with kitchens, food, and manpower during the tourism dip. Both hotel staff and volunteers are working to prepare healthy meals to support the vulnerable in their area. It is being distributed thanks to local organizations like the Food Bank (Banco Alimentar) and Cáritas, among others.

World Central Kitchen’s mission is to prepare meals for those in need following natural and economic disasters. Spanish-American Chef José Andrés has restaurants across the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, and Washington, DC, and he is often considered to be one of the influencing chefs to bring small-plate dining to the US.

There are 120 volunteers partnering in the project, which is preparing as many as 1,000 meals in Anantara Villa Padierna Palace’s kitchen. World Central Kitchen is doing the same thing in more than a dozen cities around the world to find kitchens where it can prepare nutritious meals for those who need it most.

“As we search for glimmers of hope during this difficult time, World Central Kitchen is an organization doing great work that we are proud to be part of,” says Jorge Manzur, General Director of Anantara Villa Padierna. “We are very grateful to all the chefs, volunteers, and to Anantara’s leaders, who have supported this project.”

Marbella, Spain’s Anantara Villa Padierna Palace is the second Anantara property to open in Europe after Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort in Portugal (a third is set to open in Dublin later this year