Celebrity chefs Guy Fieri, Tyler Florence and Jenn Louis joined with José Andrés in Chico, California, on Thursday to help prepare 15,000 Thanksgiving meals for the victims of the deadly Camp Fire, which has left thousands of people homeless.
“The least we can be doing today, on Thanksgiving, is all coming together to show the people what they deserve: love and support, one plate of food at a time,” Andrés said in a video on Twitter early Thursday as he and an army of helpers got to work on the holiday meals.
Reporter Benjamin Spillman shared a photo of Fieri outdoors, cooking turkeys.
Andrés said there were three kitchens in Chico serving those in need as well as barbecue in a nearby parking lot. Assisting them were not just Fieri, Florence and Louis but “some of the best chefs that California has to offer” and 800-plus volunteers.
Fifteen thousand meals would be served on Thursday alone, Andrés said.
Fieri shared his own update on Twitter early Thursday, writing that “we are off and cookin at 5 am. Goin’ for 7000lb of Turkey on 6 smokers!”
Two major wildfires have burned at both ends of California in the last two weeks: the Camp Fire, in northern Paradise, and the Woolsey Fire outside Los Angeles in the south.
More than 80 people have been killed and more than 13,000 homes have been destroyed.
While the Woolsey Fire has been contained, the Camp Fire, already the costliest such blaze in the state’s history, continues to burn.
Many celebrities have used their platforms to bring aid to those affected by the wildfires, including supermodel Cindy Crawford and her husband and kids, who hand-delivered Thanksgiving meals in Malibu to those affected by the Woolsey Fire.
Neither Fieri nor Andrés are strangers to providing culinary relief where they can. This summer Fieri was in California helping to feed evacuees in a previous wildfire.
Andrés’ organization World Central Kitchen has fed first responders and victims following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico as well as other catastrophes.
“In an emergency, you cannot run by committee,” he previously told PEOPLE. “We have a tendency to throw money at the problem instead of investing in solutions.”
Assisting after previous wildfires in California, Andrés said, “We cooked the food and the worst that can happen is nobody needs it. But I decided, let’s start preparing the food because the moment they see the need and tell us where to go, it’s ready. That’s what we do.”
To help victims of the California wildfires, visit the American Red Cross, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and the California Fire Foundation for more information.
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