This past weekend in Ukraine, one of the hubs of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) in the city of Kharkiv was destroyed by Russian missiles and injured four staff members, but Spanish-American chef and philanthropist José Andrés and WCK CEO Nate Mook weren’t about to bow to fear.
“The work doesn’t stop!” Mook wrote online on Sunday (April 17). “Today, the restaurant team is moving all food products & non-damaged equipment to another kitchen location in Kharkiv. The injured staff are doing well – and all the team here wants to continue cooking. Truly in awe at the bravery of our @WCKitchen partners!”
WCK showed up a day after Russian forces invaded Ukraine nearly two months ago and haven’t left. They’ve done their best to feed Ukrainian refugees fleeing their war-torn country.
Mook added in another tweet: “This is the reality here – cooking is a heroic act of bravery.”
José Andrés also posted an update on the bombing: “To everyone caring and sending good wishes to the team in Kharkiv, thank you, the injured are fine, and everyone is ready and willing to start cooking in another location. Many ways to fight, we do it with food!”
WCK is already rebuilding another location in Kharkiv, so they can continue their work and feed those families and individuals in need. David Beasley, Executive Director of the United Nations’ World Food Programme, recently appeared on Face the Nation and said that Russia is targeting warehouses that are filled only with food.
“There is no question that food is being used as a weapon of war in many different ways [in Ukraine],” he said.