WCK scaling up efforts in Lebanon
World Central Kitchen is ramping up our meal production in Lebanon to address the escalating humanitarian crisis and mounting civilian casualties as Israel targets Hezbollah in Lebanon, widening the war in the region. Led by Chef Corps member Aline Kamakian, our team is working tirelessly to meet the urgent needs of families affected.
Chef Aline describes the current environment in Lebanon as highly unstable and unpredictable compared to previous conflicts, when aggression was concentrated in designated areas and other communities remained relatively safe.
As one of the leading providers of food aid in Lebanon since October 2023, WCK is committed to growing our response to meet the needs of an increasingly large population of displaced families forced to flee their homes. Chef Aline and her team are prepositioning ingredients and other supplies and securing new kitchen facilities across the affected region.
In early September, WCK increased its meal production in Lebanon from 6,000 to 8,000 meals per day. Days later, we ramped up even further to provide 20,000 meals a day. WCK will allocate further resources and new team members to help Aline’s team reach 50,000 daily meals to meet the growing need for aid.
WCK’s response in Lebanon has come with numerous challenges. On September 21, a partner kitchen in Bekaa sustained damage from a nearby missile strike. Thankfully, there were no injuries, but the kitchen has since been relocated to ensure continued operations.
Chef Aline first supported WCK in August 2020 following the catastrophic explosion at the port of Beirut—the largest non-nuclear explosion in modern history. The blast resulted in over 200 fatalities, thousands of injuries, and widespread displacement. WCK mobilized within 48 hours, arriving to find communities united in recovery efforts.
Chef Aline after the explosion in Beirut in 2020.
On the day of the explosion, Chef Aline was in her restaurant, Mayrig, which was destroyed. Her other restaurant, Batchig, transformed into a hub for WCK’s operations. Despite sustaining injuries herself, Aline immediately jumped into action helping others. She began administering CPR to an injured employee and helped carry her colleagues to safety. “I brought five guys down three floors; I don’t know how I did that. Then, I realized I was injured,” said Aline.
After that, she and her remaining team salvaged what equipment and food they could from the restaurants and began cooking thousands of meals for people who needed food. She worked alongside WCK Founder and Chief Feeding Officer, Chef José Andrés, as WCK supported her efforts to help her community in the aftermath of the massive explosion.
We also worked alongside restaurateur Kamal Mouzawak, who founded Beirut’s first organic farmers’ market. Kamal and his team started cooking to feed first responders, volunteer cleanup crews, and families who had been impacted by the blast. Kamal met Chef José in Beirut and was the first to introduce him to local saj—a Middle Eastern flatbread that our teams have been cooking by the thousands every day for Palestinian families in Gaza.
Chef Aline, who is part Lebanese and part Armenian, also led our efforts in 2023 as we supported refugee families seeking safety in Armenia. Aline’s culinary skills and unwavering passion for helping others are critical to our ability to support families who are living with fear and uncertainty. Together with WCK, Aline is mobilizing with the urgency of now to once again nourish the people of Lebanon.
Help us continue providing meals to families in need.
