Leena Wadia
A humanitarian kitchen in Ukraine linked to celebrity chef José Andrés was destroyed by a Russian missile in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, according to the charity that runs it.
A restaurant associated with the World Central Kitchen (WCK) initiative suffered an attack this Saturday, according to the CEO of the non-profit project, Nate Mook, who confirmed the news on Twitter. According to him, four staff members were injured in the explosion.
“An update I was hoping I’d never have to do. I’m at a @WCKitchen restaurant in Kharkiv where less than 24 hours ago I met your amazing team,” Mook wrote with a video of himself amid burned-out people and cars, and severely damaged buildings.
“This is the reality here: cooking is a heroic act of bravery,” he said.
“The work does not stop”
The northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest, has been under regular heavy shelling since Russia began its invasion more than six weeks ago.
Mook shared an update from Kharkiv on Sunday. At the time, he reported that the injured personnel “were fine.” He also said the restaurant team was in the process of moving “all undamaged food products and equipment” to another location in the city.
“The work does not stop,” he added.
Chef José Andrés also took to Twitter to address the attack, as well as provide an update on the well-being of staff at the restaurant.
World Central Kitchen, an initiative of chef José Andrés
Founded by Andrés in 2010, World Central Kitchen is an organization that focuses on providing meals in disaster and war zones. The initiative has supplied food to Ukrainians since the beginning of the conflict, with units in around 30 cities across the country, according to its official website.
On April 15, Andres shared a chart detailing the scale of the organization’s operation in Ukraine, including setting up more than 300 restaurants and delivering more than 300,000 meals a day.
“We believe that a plate of food is sometimes the beginning of a better tomorrow,” Andrés said in a video published this Sunday.
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