Born in Puerto Rico, Kennesaw State culinary professor Humberto Guardiola gets passionate when he starts talking about the devastation of hurricanes Irma and Maria.
“Right now our island is suffering from, I think, the worst crisis they’ve had in their lifetime,” Guardiola said.
While keeping an eye on the approaching storms, Guardiola’s family faced a predicament: his parents still lived in Puerto Rico, and so did his wife’s mother and father.
“I was blessed to be able to speak with my mom and my in-laws during the hurricane,” Guardiola said. “Once the airplanes were able to land and start getting people out, we got them here.”
Now his family has joined his wife and 11-year-old daughter at home, safe from the struggles of the storm damage on the island. From empty ATMs to eight-hour lines for a tank of gas, Guardiola described the situation in Puerto Rico as he has gathered from friends and family.
With traffic lights out and major highways destroyed, travel takes several times longer than before the hurricanes. Much of the water is contaminated and undrinkable.
“Everything is a hassle,” he said. “You take for granted the things that you have in life, the facilities.”
Guardiola said he has been brainstorming ways to help Puerto Rico in his spare time, and in his research, he discovered Taste of Atlanta, where several local chefs teamed up to help the island. He volunteered his time on Oct. 21-22 and served sancocho, a traditional soup made of root vegetables.
All proceeds collected from the sales of sancocho at Taste of Atlanta benefitted World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization founded by famous chef José Andrés. In Puerto Rico, World Central Kitchen has served more than 1 million meals across the island through a network of chefs, cooks and local restaurants.
His bigger plan for helping his island is to dig into his roots and do what he knows best: culinary and hospitality. Guardiola wants to host a formal dinner or a gala that serves authentic Puerto Rican dishes, and all of the proceeds would benefit World Central Kitchen. He hopes that idea can become a reality soon.
In the face of such devastation, though, Guardiola said it’s been heartwarming to witness the outpouring of support.
“A lot of hearts have been opened,” Guardiola said. “Out of the tribulation, God works with the hearts of people to help.”
For Guardiola, cooking began as a part-time gig in college, but that was more than 22 years ago. Guardiola started his career in San Francisco, California. Then he worked as the cook on a fishing boat in Alaska for two years before heading to the Culinary Institute of America in New York to get his degree.
Since then, he’s worked in Spain and Miami, and he’s returned to live in Puerto Rico two separate times. Guardiola has only been in Georgia for a year and a half, teaching courses at KSU in basic culinary skills, international cuisine, and baking and pastry.
“I love everything that has to do with cooking, everything that has to do with hospitality,” he said.
For those who also have an interest in helping the victims of hurricane damage in Puerto Rico, World Central Kitchen accepts individual donations online.