Carolina Sánchez: the chef who will bring the flavour of Ecuador to the world as new WFP High-Level Supporter

With this designation, Sánchez becomes the first Ecuadorian to join this select global group of leaders and celebrities who champion the fight against hunger worldwide.

Sánchez, who has elevated Ecuadorian cuisine on international stages, now she brings her talent and commitment to her country's most urgent challenge: food insecurity and poor nutrition affecting millions of people, especially children.

"We are very pleased to have a strategic ally in our fight against food insecurity in Ecuador and around the world," said Matteo Perrone, WFP Representative in Ecuador. "Her ability to connect with communities, her deep respect for local ingredients, and her vision of inclusive and sustainable gastronomy bring immeasurable value to our mission."

Born in Cuenca in Ecuador's Andrean highlands, Sánchez trained as a chef at the University of Cuenca and refined her craft in Peru and Spain, solidifying her career at the prestigious Basque Culinary Center. Together with her partner, Basque chef Iñaki Murua, she founded the restaurant Ikaro in Logroño (Spain), which received a Michelin star in 2019-marking a milestone for Ecuador.

For Sánchez, cooking is much more than flavours: it is a tool for social transformation, capable of rescuing ancestral ingredients, empowering small producers, and building bridges between cultures.

Sánchez's appointment comes at a critical moment: 2.6 million people in Ecuador live in acute food insecurity, and projections for the coming years warn of an increase to 2.7 million. At the same time, chronic child malnutrition affects one in five children under the age of two, while overweight and obesity already impact 35% of schoolchildren aged 5 to 11.

In response to this reality, World Food Programme promotes initiatives in Ecuador such as school feeding, which currently benefits more than 40,000 children and adolescents in 186 schools across the country. Sánchez has actively joined these efforts, sharing her experience with parents who prepare school meals and promoting the use of local products to improve nutritional quality.

"I deeply believe that school feeding is an investment in the future of our country," said Sánchez. "Feeling proud of our cuisine also means valuing and incorporating local foods as a driver of development and a more sustainable food future.."

Drawing from her experience in haute cuisine, the chef will promote initiatives that foster food sustainability and highlight the cultural and gastronomic richness of the entire region. Her work will join the efforts and campaigns of more than 26 celebrities and public figures who support WFP's mission around the world, lending their voices to mobilize resources, raise awareness, and pave the way toward a world with zero hunger.