A Chicago chef paid tribute to the seven World Central Kitchen workers who were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. Despite coordinating their movements with the Israeli Defense Forces, the workers were hit and killed by Israeli fire while on a mission to provide aid to those in need. World Central Kitchen is approved to enter conflict zones, areas of famine, and places of unrest to provide support and aid.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel’s armed forces accidentally struck a convoy from the humanitarian group. Netanyahu referred to the incident as a tragic case of forces unintentionally hitting innocent people. The video of the blast clearly shows the logo of World Central Kitchen on the caravan vehicles. One of the workers, Zomi Francom of Australia, shared a common purpose of making and delivering food with Chicago chef Tony Priolo of Piccolo Sogno.
Priolo had previously worked with a group of chefs to provide food at the Poland-Ukraine border during the war in Ukraine. The news of the workers’ deaths left Priolo sleepless and troubled throughout the night. Despite the tragedy, Priolo regarded the workers as heroes for volunteering their time and resources to help others in need. According to Priolo, he would willingly volunteer in Gaza if given the opportunity. He emphasized the dedication of chefs to feed people, describing it as their ultimate goal.
The founder of World Central Kitchen, José Andrés, who has restaurants in Chicago, referred to the deceased workers as his “sisters and brothers” and “angels.” The commitment of these individuals to providing humanitarian aid in dangerous situations was deeply admired by the chef community.
