A facility of DC-based celebrity chef José Andrés’ food nonprofit was struck in a Russian missile attack, which damaged the facility and wounded four staff members.
“An update I hoped I’d never have to make,” World Central Kitchen (WCK) CEO Nate Mook tweeted on Saturday, April 16. “I’m at a @WCKitchen restaurant in Kharkiv, where less than 24 hours ago I was meeting with their amazing team. Today, a missile struck. 4 staff were wounded. This is the reality here—cooking is a heroic act of bravery.”
The missile attack targeted a building near the WCK restaurant during last weekend’s military strikes by the Russian army in the northeastern city of Kharkiv.
The injured volunteers, who were hospitalized after the attack, were released from the hospital, WCK reported via a Twitter post on Tuesday.
An update I hoped I’d never have to make. I’m at a @WCKitchen restaurant in Kharkiv, where less than 24 hours ago I was meeting with their amazing team. Today, a missile stuck. 4 staff were wounded. This is the reality here—cooking is a heroic act of bravery. #ChefsForUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/AyU4fUnA61
— Nate Mook (@natemook) April 16, 2022
In late February, Andrés traveled to the Ukraine-Poland border with his WCK team to provide refugees with hot meals.
“We are contacting others. We are telling them, ‘Guys, there’s many ways to fight.’ Some people find us making sure that people are fed. And those are our people and we’re gonna be supporting them in many ways,” the Spanish-American chef said in a video he posted on Twitter from the Ukrainian border.
This is what we do… Welcome to one of our @WCKitchen kitchens in Kyiv! Today we delivered these meals to hospitals…VIP is one of over 400 amazing WCK restaurant, catering & food truck partners serving 320,000 meals per day in Ukraine and border countries! #ChefsForUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/bdPD5KzcLe
— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) April 18, 2022
WCK staff are also serving Ukrainian refugees food near the border in Poland, as well as Hungary, Romania, and Moldova, in addition to Ukrainian cities like Kharkiv.
Andrés’ nonprofit has delivered more than 50 million meals in various countries since its foundation in 2010. They also distributed millions of meals around the US during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, WCK handed out meals for first responders who served during the US Capitol riot on January 6.