In an email interview, the founder of World Central Kitchen explained why “food is resistance” and named the book which “lit a fire in me that still burns.” SCOTT HELLER
What books are on your night stand?
A mix! “Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor,” by Yossi Klein Halevi; “A Sacred Oath,” by Mark Esper; “El Húsar,” by Arturo Pérez-Reverte; and María Dueña’s “Tiempo Entre Costuras.”
What’s the best book you’ve ever received as a gift?
“The Little Prince,” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Someone gave it to me when I was young, and I return to it often. It reminds me to stay humble, curious and to always look with the heart. And “¡Adiós, Cordera!,” by Leopoldo Alas (Clarín). It takes place in Asturias, the region in Spain where I was born, and it showed me how even a cow, a child, a train, can carry the whole weight of a country’s sorrow — a small book with a heavy heart. That story never left me.
Which subjects do you wish more authors would write about?
The connection of food to everything: national security, climate, immigration, dignity. We need more stories about food as diplomacy, food as a human right. The world doesn’t run on oil. It runs on rice.
What’s the last great book you read?
“Apeirogon,” by Colum McCann, about two fathers — one Palestinian, one Israeli — bound by grief and hope. It was like reading a poem carved out of tragedy.
What’s your favorite book no one else has heard of?
“Mafalda,” by Quino. A lot of people have heard of it in the Spanish-speaking world, but it’s still underappreciated globally. Mafalda is this little girl with big thoughts: funny, rebellious, deeply human. Through her, Quino taught generations how to question authority, care about the world and laugh at life’s absurdities. That little comic strip shaped the way I see justice, politics, and yes, even food.
Have you ever gotten in trouble for reading a book?
Not trouble-trouble, but I’ve definitely burned a few things on the stove because I was too deep in a good story. The smells of garlic and fiction sometimes collide! And then there was the day I gave my daughter Carlota a first edition of “Charlotte’s Web” on Thanksgiving … while we were roasting a baby pig. She looked at me and said, “Good choice, Daddy. Very nice,” with all the sarcasm in the world. I still laugh about it. Timing is everything.
Why did you decide to write an inspirational book rather than, say, a memoir?
My life is about others: feeding people, lifting communities, using food as a solution. I want my words to spark action, not nostalgia.
“I do believe that life begins at the end of your comfort zone,” you write. When was the last time you felt that kind of energy?
When I landed in Gaza to assess the needs after the bombings. When I went into Ukraine with my team, into hospitals, onto destroyed roads. Every crisis pushes you out of comfort and into humanity.
What are the best books you’ve ever read on cooking?
“On Food and Cooking,” by Harold McGee, where science meets magic. On the modern side, “Sous-Vide Cuisine,” by Joan Roca and Salvador Brugués, is a foundational text. “Arroces Contemporáneos,” by Quique Dacosta, is a revolutionary approach to rice dishes, showcasing why Spanish chefs have been the most technical in the world over the last 30 years. Anything by Ferran Adrià — his work at El Bulli redefined modern gastronomy. On the traditional side, “La Cocina Completa,” by the Marquesa de Parabere, provides an extensive look into Spain’s culinary heritage.
What book has had the greatest impact on you?
“The Grapes of Wrath,” by John Steinbeck, made me understand hunger, dignity, migration and the injustice of the systems that create suffering. It lit a fire in me that still burns.
What’s the most interesting thing you learned from a book recently?
That in some parts of the world, seeds are passed down like family heirlooms. A grandmother’s pepper seed becomes a granddaughter’s hope. Food is memory. Food is resistance. One book that reminded me of this is “Traditional Ukrainian Cookery,” by Savella Stechishin. A treasure chest of recipes, yes, it’s also about survival, migration, and cultural identity preserved through generations. It’s more than a cookbook; it’s a monument. And it shows how food and dishes are a powerful tool of never forgetting.
If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be?
“The Undocumented Americans,” by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, to know who truly keeps America fed, clothed and standing. Or “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” by Michael Pollan, to understand how food policy is national policy.
You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?
Gabriel García Márquez to talk about memory and magic. Ernest Hemingway to argue over wine, talk about war and writing, and maybe throw some jamón on the fire. And Jules Verne, because “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” feels like something we could cook up now.
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