Olia Hercules (born 1984) is a London-based Ukrainian chef, food writer and food stylist. In response to the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

she initiated a programme of fundraising, for individuals and for

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

Early life

Olia Hercules was born in

Kakhovka Kakhovka (, ) is a port city on the Dnieper River in Kakhovka Raion, Kherson Oblast, of southern Ukraine. It hosts the administration of the Kakhovka urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. It had a population of Kakhovka has been under ...

, in the South of Ukraine. She moved to

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

at the age of 12 where the climate was deemed better for her asthma and went to an English school. She settled in the United Kingdom at the age of 18 to study international relations and Italian at

Warwick University The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of a ...

before obtaining a master's degree.

Work

Hercules began working as a film journalist but amidst the 2008 economic crisis decided to change careers. Olia trained at Leith's School of Food and Wine, then worked as a food stylist for various publications, after which she went on to work at London restaurant Ottolenghi's as a chef-de-partie (line cook). Hercules has appeared on ''

Saturday Kitchen ''Saturday Kitchen Live'' (formerly Saturday Kitchen) is a British food television programme typically broadcast on Saturday mornings between 10:00 and 11:30 on BBC One. It is also available on BBC iPlayer. It is currently hosted by Matt Tebb ...

'', '' Sunday Brunch,'' and Christopher Kimball's Milk Street Television.

Books

She has written four cookbooks, including ''Mamushka'' which is a collection of Eastern European recipes. * ''Mamushka: Recipes From Ukraine & Beyond '' (Octopus Publishing, 2015) * ''Kaukasis: The Cookbook – A Journey Through the Wild East'' (Octopus Publishing, 2017) * ''Summer Kitchens Inside Ukraine's Hidden Places of Cooking and Sanctuary'' (Weldon Owen, July 14, 2020) * ''Home Food'' (Bloomsbury Publishing, 7 July 2022) * ''Strong Roots'' (Bloomsbury Publishing, 19 June 2025)

Activism

In response to the

, Hercules raised money to privately send bullet-proof vests to civilian volunteers in the

Ukrainian army The Ukrainian Ground Forces (SVZSU, ), also referred to as the Ukrainian army, is a land force, and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Declaratio ...

, including her brother. With her friend, Alissa Timoshkina, the duo established the #CookForUkraine social media initiative, encouraging businesses and individuals to raise money for UNICEF and Legacy of War Foundation by cooking Ukrainian cuisine. The project has raised over £2 million for UNICEF, Choose Love and the Legacy of War Foundation. In 2023, Olia and Alissa set up Ukraine Hub to provide free workshops for displaced Ukrainians in the UK.

Awards

* ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' Rising Star in Food 2015 * Winner of

Fortnum & Mason Fortnum & Mason plc (colloquially often shortened to just Fortnum's) is an Luxury goods, upmarket department store in London, England. The main store is located at 181 Piccadilly in the St James's area of London, where it was established in 1707 ...

's Debut Food Book Award 2016 * Champions of Change for #CookForUkraine * Observer Food Monthly Editor's Award 2022 for #CookForUkraine * The Guild of Food Writer's Special Award 2023 for #CookForUkraine

Personal life

Olia is married to British food photographer, Joe Woodhouse. They live in London with their two sons.

References

External links

Olia Hercules website

Recipe collection on BBC Food

Olia Hercule's ''Guardian profile''
1984 births Living people Alumni of the University of Warwick Ukrainian food writers The Guardian journalists Ukrainian chefs Ukrainian people of Russian descent Ukrainian expatriates in England Ukrainian women writers {{Chef-bio-stub