Celebrity chef José Andrés (right) is the founder of World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that serves meals to people affected by humanitarian crises. Here, President Biden (second from left) arrives to meet with Ukrainian refugees and humanitarian aid workers during a visit to Warsaw, Poland, on March 26. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption
toggle caption
Evan Vucci/AP
A charity kitchen in Ukraine linked to celebrity chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen was destroyed by a missile, according to a tweet from the nonprofit’s CEO, Nate Mook.
The nonprofit has been on the ground serving families fleeing Ukraine since the day after the Russian invasion began.
In a video posted to Twitter on Saturday, after the blast in the city of Kharkiv, Mook stood by what remained of the building that once held the restaurant that had been partnering with World Central Kitchen. A fire was still burning in a building behind him, he told viewers. Cars were burned out around him, with some parts strewn in the branches of bare trees above him.
Four of the partner restaurant’s staff members were wounded, and there was “a lot of damage” to the kitchen. No one was killed in the restaurant, Mook said.
“This was a big hit, as you can see,” he said. “Just a tremendous amount of carnage left behind for no reason.”
Andrés, founder and chief feeding officer of the nonprofit, also responded to the news of the blast on Twitter, sending “a message of hope.” In a video filmed outside a church on Easter Sunday, Andrés said that the four wounded staff members are “OK.”
Staff members planned to cook at another location on Monday, Andrés said.
“You see, the goodness always shines through, and we’re going to keep cooking and feeding as many people as we can,” Andrés said.
World Central Kitchen has served food at hundreds of locations in Ukraine, NPR reported last month. The nonprofit has also served food to refugees from sites in Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.