Nate Mook stands between two buildings on what was once a street in Kharkiv, the war-torn city in northeastern Ukraine. The road is full of debris and charred skeletons of vehicles that once operated. The windows of both buildings have been blown up and the corridor between the structures looks as if it would collapse under the weight of a single person. On Saturday, around noon Ukrainian time, a rocket hit this part of Kharkov and Muk, CEO of World Central Kitchen, explains that, once again, Russian forces attacked a civilian area. This time, it was a restaurant serving as a soothing cuisine with the support of WCK, the organization founded by chef and humanist José Andrés. Four members of the ghost kitchen staff, part of the Yaposhka restaurant chain in Ukraine, were treated for burns, some severe. Live updates: The war in Ukraine It is the first time, in the 12 years since the founding of WCK, that one of the relief kitchens has been attacked. It is also the first time the WCK has operated in a war zone. “As you can see, huge damage. “There is still a fire in the building there,” Mook said in a video on Twitter. “There is a lot of damage in the kitchen as well.” An update I hoped I would never have to do. I am in a restaurant @WCKitchen in Kharkov, where less than 24 hours ago I was meeting with their amazing team. Today, a rocket stuck. 4 staff members were injured. That’s the reality here – cooking is a heroic act of bravery. #ChefsForUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/AyU4fUnA61 – Nate Mook (@natemook) April 16, 2022 “There are offices in this area. There are houses. People live here. People work here and people cook here. And that’s it, “said Mook, with his rage evident. “I do not really know what else to say. “It’s just terrible barbarism.” Two days later, Mook is on the phone and talking from Kharkov, where the city is under almost constant bombardment by the Russians. He has visited the injured women in the hospital – he only knows their first names and he is not sure they want their full names to be made public – and he is in a good mood. One has already been released. Another, Julia, suffered the worst: she suffered burns to her arm and hand, which Mook believes are third-degree burns. The other three women are expected to be released from the hospital in the next day or two, Mook said. I want to introduce you to 3 brave staff from the @WCKitchen restaurant Yaposhka! Julia, Lisa and Julia are in good spirits and recovering in hospital after being hit by rockets. Julia – next to me – said she was excited to be back to help feed 1000 as soon as her burns healed. True heroes! 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/xqqJe4mjcw – Nate Mook (@natemook) April 17, 2022 “The sad thing is that the hospital needs beds because so many people are injured now,” he added. “Even tonight, Russia just dropped more shells in the city center. They also hit the city center yesterday. A few days ago, they hit a park where people had gone for a walk with their dogs and were sitting around. I mean, it’s pretty brutal and violent. “ It could have been worse, says Mook. The rocket appears to have hit the building opposite the restaurant. About 30 to 35 people were working at the time, preparing the 3,000 to 4,000 meals made daily from this Yaposhka kitchen. Most of the workers were far away from the windows facing the street. “The kitchens are just behind the street,” says Mook. “It’s a bit of a miracle that most people in the restaurant were not injured or killed. “Imagine if 10 of the staff were out for a smoke break, standing in front just when the rocket hit, all these people would be dead.” All four employees were Yaposhka employees, not World Central Kitchen employees or volunteers. WCK is currently working with more than 400 restaurants, food trucks and catering companies, which together produce about 320,000 meals a day to feed the hungry in Ukraine. WCK does not allow its volunteers to work inside Ukraine. Usually, Mook says, WCK pays its affiliates a fixed price per meal, a price that is supposed to cover not only ingredients, but also rent, utilities, labor, and more. Yaposhka, for example, was one of the first associates in Kharkov, says Mook, “in the early days when it was very dangerous to be out there, not that it is not dangerous now.” José Andrés and the World Central Kitchen feed him refugees fleeing Ukraine Yaposhka’s ghost kitchen was almost destroyed during the rocket attack. The walls collapsed. It looked like “God’s hand fell on the front of the restaurant,” says Mook. Despite the disaster, however, workers on Sunday already moved usable equipment and supplies to a new location. They hoped to return to the internet on Tuesday. The founders of Yaposhka, says Mook, “asked the staff what they wanted to do and the staff said: ‘Let’s go. Let’s start another kitchen. Let’s start cooking. “People need to eat.” ” Julia, the worker with severe burns to her arm and hand, was among those who wanted to return. Only a handful of WCK employees are active in Ukraine, including Mook and, in many cases, Andrés himself. Both men serve as witnesses / journalists as well as aid workers, providing direct on-site information through their Twitter accounts. WCK also has a number of employees who devote considerable time to gathering information from the military, civil society leaders, journalists and the many residents who remain in Ukraine. “The information is “The most valuable thing,” says Mook, “is because it’s the way you stay safe or as safe as possible.” “Again, you can’t stop a cruise missile from landing at a train station or outside your restaurant.” The WCK was able to feed people in cities that have borne the brunt of Russia’s attack. The organization has relied on trucks and trains to transport supplies and equipment to areas still under siege. On the morning of the Yaposhka rocket attack, for example, a truck threw rice cookers, induction burners and large pots into the kitchen. The only site that is currently out of bounds for WCK is Mariupol, the battered port city where Russian and Ukrainian forces are still fighting for control. “At this point, no one is really able to get in,” says Mook. “The routes you could have accessed in the last week or two have been cut.” Yesterday I stopped at Kramatorsk station as we planned to serve food and coffee at 1000 evacuations. Today we saw their murder — Moms. Children. People were burned alive in their cars. We are in a state of shock, but @WCKitchen is not running – we must stand by the people of Ukraine against evil. pic.twitter.com/H3VUz6yGnm – Nate Mook (@natemook) April 8, 2022 “People are probably starving to death in Mariupol,” he added. “It really is a horrible, horrible situation.” Nearly two months after the war, Mook recognizes that it can be exhausting to face daily challenges. Sometimes, he does not even know what day it is. “What keeps me going, what keeps José going, what keeps the team going are the Ukrainians we are surrounded by,” says Mook. “This is what leads us: the spirit, the strength and the resilience of the Ukrainians. We look at them and say, ‘Well, we’re here to stand by them. “They are going through this, and we have to be there to support them.” ”
