Celebrity chef José Andrés responded to criticism directed toward him by conservative pundit Ann Coulter, who called him “some nut foreigner” after he advocated for stronger hunger relief programs in the U.S.
Coulter tweeted on Tuesday, “Some nut foreigner was just on MSNBC demanding that Biden appoint a ‘Food Czar’ to solve the ‘national hunger crisis.’ A dozen federal food programs is not enough!” The columnist included a link to a list of federal nutrition programs on the National Conference of State Legislatures’ website.
Andrés, a Spanish American chef and restaurateur, responded to the tweet on Wednesday.
“I’m so proud you called me a Nut,” Andrés replied to Coulter. “Nuts are fruits where the ovary walls become hard so I can be Protector of my people and everyone else. Nuts like me? energy-dense,nutrient-rich, what we need to feed USA. Nuts?You right girl, ‘foreigners’ like almonds+pistachios!Happy holidays!”
Republican commentator Ana Navarro-Cárdenas also tweeted in defense of Andrés.
“His name is @chefjoseandres. He’s helped feed millions of Americans & people across the world in times of need, after disasters. He’s a small-business owner/entrepreneur who employs thousands through his restaurants. Oh, and he’s an American citizen, who makes our country great.”
Coulter appeared to be referring to an interview Andrés took part in on Tuesday where he spoke on the national hunger crisis in the U.S.
Andrés is the founder of World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that works to combat food insecurity in vulnerable populations around the world, and was asked by MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell for possible solutions to help the hunger crisis.
“This is very simple. This is the biggest emergency as a country we face in the last 100 years. We have … a government agency called FEMA [the Federal Emergency Management Agency], which is the emergency organization. We have hunger crisis, we have people who’re really suffering through this pandemic,” said Andrés.
The chef and activist suggested that FEMA take immediate action, saying “they don’t need any approval from Congress, they already have [the] Disaster Relief Fund. The White House can do this without any legislation.”
Feeding America, the largest hunger relief organization in the U.S., recently said that the U.S. was heading toward recession-era hunger figures, when more than 50 million Americans lacked food security.
Andrés has repeatedly suggested that the U.S. establish the position of a “food czar” to address the issue.
“I’m recommending we need to have not even a food czar, we almost need a Secretary of Food. We need to understand one thing that food is more than the USDA,” Andrés said in an interview with Yahoo News.
“Food is more than just all the mechanics of a smart agricultural system. Food is immigration, food is health, food is national security, food is job creation, food is economic growth, food is very much at the heart of every single part.”