Chef José Andrés Offers ‘The World on a Plate’ Again

Registration is open for course coordinated by Urban Food Task Force to examine food from science, public health and policy perspectives.

November 13, 2013

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Chef José Andrés cooked a paella at the end of his course last spring.

Following the success of last spring’s inaugural course, internationally renowned chef José Andrés will offer “The World on a Plate: How Food Shapes Civilization” for the second year in a row.

The 1.5-credit hour course, organized by the Urban Food Task Force, will be held Tuesdays from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Elliott School of International Affairs. There are 230 spots in the class, and space is still available for interested students. The class is open to all students. Students can register here.

The interdisciplinary class will explore food from a variety of perspectives. Students will study food as a public health issue, an industry, a science and as a political instrument. They’ll also examine how food is used in the craft of cooking.

Mr. Andrés is a James Beard Award winner who has been recognized as a culinary innovator. In addition to owning the restaurant management company ThinkFoodGroup, Mr. Andrés has authored several cookbooks and has advocated for hunger and nutrition issues around the world. He also launched World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that aims to feed people facing humanitarian crises across the globe.

Mr. Andrés will focus "The World on a Plate” on getting GW students to change the world through food. He will be joined by Kim Robien, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics and exercise science, and will also enlist several guest lecturers. Visitors last spring included Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel series “Bizarre Foods” and Christopher Kimball, founder of Cooks Illustrated.

Last spring’s interactive class encouraged students to face food problems head-on. In the closing session, students were split into groups and asked to come up with solutions to real-world problems. They presented their projects in a class contest judged by local chefs and university faculty. The group “Mission Nutrition” won for their project aimed to teach fourth-graders to read labels and eat healthy. Mr. Andrés ended the class by cooking a giant paella for his students in Kogan Plaza.