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David Hertz grew up in a middle-class Brazilian household with strong Jewish values.
After coming out as gay in his early 20s, tensions with his traditional parents were running high, he tells JTA.
"I left and went to Israel for two years, searching for my path in life and trying to find a sense of freedom," he says.
"That opened my eyes to the world, and I continued my journey for several more years, traveling all over the world.
What I learned through those experiences was that my passion and purpose was in foodnot just eating but understanding how it sits at the center of our lives and the systems we live in."
After returning to Brazil in 2001, Hertz completed culinary training and got a job as a restaurant head chef.
But Brazil's deep poverty weighed heavily on him.
More than 70 million people are forced to eat less than their nutritional needs and 33 million frequently go hungry.
"You can see the inequality everywhere in Brazil," Hertz says.
So in 2006, he opened Gastromotiva, a cooking school for underprivileged Brazilians.
Among the 9,000 students who have completed Gastromotiva's courses, about 70% to 80% work in the food business.
Hertz also opened a chic restaurant in Rio de Janiero staffed by Gastromotiv
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