For this Brazilian chef, stopping world hunger starts in local kitchens

David Hertz knows solving food insecurity will take much more than a hot, boxed meal.

That broad view is the beating heart of Gastromotiva, the nonprofit Mr. Hertz founded in 2006. Operating out of Rio de Janeiro, it offers vocational kitchen training, nutrition programs, and food education to residents from low-income communities. Today more than 6,000 people have graduated from the school, many of whom have gone on to launch restaurants, food banks, and soup kitchens in their own communities.

In recent years, Mr. Hertz has sought to share his ideas – and spur change – well beyond Brazil, co-founding a “social gastronomy movement” in 2018. Such efforts are part of a larger trend, gaining prominence globally, in which food is