LONDON.- Jos Luis Garca Basabe is a Basque chef who lives two opposite realities in London. They are job in it Buckingham Palace makes him close to luxury and, in his free time, he searches with his NGO food for the needy of the British capital.
In the palace where the British royal family lives, this 44-year-old from Bilbao, who is part of the staff of cooks who works there, takes care of the maintenance of the military personnel there.
“I cannot handle the food of the royal family, since we could contaminate it. They have a private chef. We are with those who are one step below royalty in the palace,” Garca Basabe explains to AFP.
“I only saw the late queen twice, when I was driving. The one I have seen up close is Meghan,” says the cook, referring to Prince Harry’s wife, who now lives in California, since she couple moved there.
“She was wearing a big hat and I didn’t recognize her. She has to be someone in the family! I thought,” he adds.
80% Latino people
In 2020, a year after entering Buckingham, he founded the NGO OCA Community Kitchen.
García Basabe decided to call it OCA, in reference to the tuber of the same name that is grown in the Andean countries, as a complement and substitute for the potato.
“It was a very beautiful thing. I was born overnight. During the pandemic, since I was a vulnerable person, since I am diabetic, they sent me home from work in Buckingham. I was bored, and since I collaborate with Latin American organizations In London, they called me from a church to spread the message that they could give food to people in need,” he says.
“The word spread and suddenly there were lines of 300 or 400 people looking for food. I realized the need and that something had to be done,” he adds.
Since 80% of the people he helps come from the Latin American community in London, he decided to name the organization OCA.
After studying cooking in his city, Bilbao, and working in restaurants and hotels, he moved to London ten years ago. There he started in Spanish restaurants, until one day a position appeared in the kitchens of Buckingham.
“The offer came out without telling you what it was for. I applied without imagining where I was going to work. In the first interview they warn you that it is a very hard job, for many people,” he explains.
After several selections and weeks of waiting, the last test arrived, at Buckingham Palace. There he discovered where he would work.
“The last test was as if you were on a television show, with three contestants and three juries,” recalls García Basabe, who thought he would not be chosen. “They asked me for all the certificates of good conduct, both in the United Kingdom and internationally. With a simple traffic ticket you don’t pass,” he says.
And for four years he has been working at the royal residence.
116,000 families
Sometimes, he is called to work for palace events, such as one of Queen Elizabeth II’s last birthdays, her funeral and the coronation of her son Charles III, where he cooked for 3,000 people.
For deliveries with his NGO, he has the help of more than one hundred volunteers, from the Latin American community.
“Latin Americans are the most in need here. Other communities have more help,” explains García Basabe.
The food comes from donations from supermarkets. The cook also has help from organizations that provide premises for deliveries and depends on donations to cover expenses.
García Basabe also sent 135 tons of food to Ukraine.
“We have distributed food to 116,000 families between Ukraine and London,” summarizes the cook, who admits that he feels more fulfilled with his help work than with his work in Buckingham.
FUENTE: AFP
