Learn to Make Karla Hoyos’ Creamy Curry Pasta, the Meal That Fed Thousands in Puerto Rico

If you’ve ever wanted to know how to make Michelle Obama’s breakfast tacos, Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle’s lemon olive oil cake, or Emeril Lagasse’s gumbo, a new cookbook from World Central Kitchen will show you.

The book, released on September 12 and dubbed The World Central Kitchen: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope, is the organization’s first publication. The idea is to showcase the chefs and supporters who have helped to support the nonprofit’s efforts in feeding those in need.

Inside the 304-page book, readers can find stories and recipes from famous chefs, local cooks, and celebrity friends of José Andrés and his nonprofit with a mission to feed communities impacted by natural disasters and humanitarian crises.

The cookbook also prominently features Miami chef Karla Hoyos, whose volunteer efforts have been vital to World Central Kitchen’s humanitarian efforts since 2017 when Hurricane María devastated Puerto Rico.

In an interview with the New Times, Hoyos shares her experience responding to disaster relief efforts worldwide, a journey that began from a call to action and has progressed to become a large part of her life.

Hoyos recalls her first encounter with crisis work as she sprang to action, helping to feed those in need amidst the chaos and aftermath of the storm.

“I got a call on a Friday night to ask to come help set up a kitchen and was on route to Puerto Rico on Saturday evening with cash, a satellite radio, and my work gear,” says Hoyos, who vividly recalls the initial conditions at the World Central Kitchen base. “I remember arriving to cook meals, and there was no electricity in the kitchen or the outside patio.”

With nothing more than what she had at her disposal, Karla’s dedication and resourcefulness played a pivotal role in scaling up meal production from 20,000 to 65,000 a day, ensuring that those affected by the disaster received warm, comforting meals.

Readers can find her creamy curry pasta, inspired by her time working in Haiti after the 2021 earthquake, to make at home. The recipe was inspired by necessity. Locked in a facility with little room to work and even fewer ingredients, she says the idea was to make the best out of what she had at her disposal.

“We had to create a complete dish with all the components, starch, protein, vegetables, that could be cooked in a paella pan,” she explains, adding the share volume she needed to cook was startling. “We found a way to cook it all, and 100 pounds of pasta, at once.”

Her resourcefulness and collaboration with locals resulted in a delicious and efficient meal prepared under challenging conditions, one she hopes those who purchase the cookbook can now make themselves at home.

Working with World Central Kitchen, Hoyos continues to be part of disaster relief efforts worldwide, from the Bahamas to Bangladesh and notes that each situation is unique and requires mental strength to remain positive and focused amidst widespread destruction and suffering.

She highlights her recent experiences in Poland and Ukraine, where she witnessed the human impact of war, which left a lasting impression on her.

“My favorite part of everything is to do what I love most, which is cooking, but also making a positive change in someone’s day, their situation, or life,” she explains. “I am most definitely not the same cook I was when I arrived in the city six years ago. Being able to represent such an amazing community in a humanitarian way is such an honor.”

Looking ahead, Hoyos – who also operates Tacotomia inside the Julia & Henry’s complex in downtown Miami – says she is committed to her role with World Central Kitchen. Moving forward, her goal is to develop more efficient response systems to better serve people in times of crisis.

“My goal every time I go into a new country to activate a kitchen is – what’s the most meals we can make and how fast can we get it going,” sums up Hoyos.