United by friendship and the need to bring awareness to the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian chef Olia Hercules and Russian chef Alissa Timoshkina began the (now trending) #cookforukraine movement.
The global initiative raises funds for organizations involved in providing aid to the people of Ukraine. The premise behind the movement is to make traditional Ukrainian foods, share those foods with friends, and discuss the current conflict.
The hope is that participants will donate to organizations raising funds to help war victims by enjoying foods common to Ukrainian culture. Several celebrity chefs have participated in the movement, and home chefs are encouraged to bake for Ukraine. So far, #cookforukraine has amassed over 5,000 supporters.
Chefs inspired by Ukraineโs vast array of traditional treats can donate directly to theย Cook for Ukraine fundย or sell homemade items and donate proceeds to the charity. All money raised is sent to UNICEF to support children caught in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
The Cook for Ukraine website lists many popular Ukrainian dishes you can prepare at home. A similar effort, #bakeforukraine, is also trending on social media and includes several professional bakers and home bakers selling items to support various charities, including Natasha Kravchuk of @natashaskitchen. Toronto-based Mari Loewen, cookbook writer and founder of ANNA Magazine, is even hosting a 90-minute virtual cooking class in collaboration with #cookforukraine, with proceeds going to Jose Andres’ non-profit World Central Kitchen.
Toronto restaurants are getting involved, too. Family-owned Ukrainian restaurant Barrel House Korchma also set up a donation box in the restaurant for donations to the Friends of Ukraine Defense Forces Fund (FUDF), and Ration: Beverleyย has created a special campaign, Latkes for Ukraine, with proceeds from the latke with beets dish going to the Canadian Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal fund.
If you like to cook or bake and want to help the people of Ukraine, itโs as simple as using the hashtag #bakeforukraine or #cookforukraine to craft traditional dishes like syrniki (cheese pancakes) and borscht. No celebrity chef skills are required, but pulling inspiration from them for a good cause is certainly welcome.