Olia Hercules

Olia Hercules (born 1984)[1] is a London-based Ukrainian chef, food writer and food stylist. In response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine she initiated a programme of fundraising, for individuals and for UNICEF.

Early life

Olia Hercules was born in Southern Ukraine in 1984,[1] and spent her early childhood in the town of Kakhovka. She is of Russian and Bessarabian (Moldovan) origin.[citation needed] Her father is an entrepreneur and her mother a hotel manager.[2] She moved to Cyprus at the age of 12 where the climate was deemed better for her asthma[3] 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 before obtaining a master's degree in Russian language and culture. Beside her native Russian, she also speaks English, Italian and some Ukrainian.[4]

Work

Hercules began working as a film journalist but amidst the 2008 economic crisis decided to change careers. Olia Hercules began working as a chef after completing a course at Leith's School of Food and Wine in 2010.[5] She was then a food stylist for various publications, [6] after which she went on to work at London restaurant Ottolenghi's as a chef-de-partie (line cook).[7][8]

Hercules has appeared on Saturday Kitchen,[9][10] Sunday Brunch,[11] and Christopher Kimball's Milk Street Television.

Books

She has written the recipe book Mamushka which is a collection of Eastern European recipes. 2017 saw Hercules' second book published.[12]

  • Mamushka: Recipes From Ukraine & Beyond (Octopus Publishing, 2015)[13]
  • Kaukasis: The Cookbook – A Journey Through the Wild East (Octopus Publishing, 2017)[12]
  • Summer Kitchens Inside Ukraine's Hidden Places of Cooking and Sanctuary (Weldon Owen, July 14, 2020)[14]
  • Home Food (Bloomsbury Publishing, 7 July 2022)[15]

Activism

In response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Hercules raised money to privately send bullet-proof vests to civilian volunteers in the Ukrainian army, including her brother.[16] With her friend, the Russian chef Alissa Timoshkina, the duo established the #CookForUkraine social media initiative, encouraging businesses and individuals to raise money for UNICEF by cooking Ukrainian cuisine.[17][18]

Awards

Personal life

She married a Greek-Cypriot man in her early twenties and kept his last name ‘Hercules’.[19] She then had a son with fellow chef Tom Catley[20] and is now married to food photographer Joe Woodhouse. The couple have two sons. They live in London.[21]

References

  1. ^ a b "Rising stars of 2015: chef Olia Hercules". the Guardian. 2014-12-28. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  2. ^ Missing, Sophie (17 May 2015) Olia Hercules and the food of warm Ukrainian summers The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  3. ^ galina (2017-10-20). "Olia Hercules". Galina. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  4. ^ Як фудблогерка Оля Геркулес прославила на весь світ українські літні кухні (Youtube), 28 October 2020, retrieved 2021-10-09
  5. ^ Hercules, Olia (4 June 2015). Info. Octopus Publishing. ISBN 9781784720384. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Style Department Represents Olia Hercules, Food Stylist". Style Department. 6 January 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  7. ^ Whaite, John (2015-06-21). "Olia Hercules: the chef bringing East European food to our tables". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  8. ^ Stewart, Victoria (2015-06-22). "Meet Olia Hercules, the ex-Ottolenghi chef putting Ukrainian food on the map in London". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  9. ^ "24/12/2016, Saturday Kitchen - BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  10. ^ "Saturday Kitchen - BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  11. ^ admin (2020-07-19). "Olia Hercules Pot-Roast Chicken with Herby Crème Fraiche recipe on Sunday Brunch". The Talent Zone. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
  12. ^ a b "Mitchell Beazley to publish second cookbook by Olia Hercules". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  13. ^ Mamushka. Octopus Books. 4 June 2015. ISBN 9781784720384.
  14. ^ Hercules, Olia (2020). Summer kitchens : recipes and reminiscences from every corner of Ukraine. Elena Heatherwick, Joe Woodhouse. London. ISBN 978-1-4088-9909-0. OCLC 1139622165.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  15. ^ "Home Food". bloomsbury.com. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  16. ^ Thomson, Alice. "Olia Hercules: 'My parents are surrounded. There is no way out of the country'". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  17. ^ "Russian chef joins forces with Ukrainian best friend to serve food across frontiers". the Guardian. 2022-03-06. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  18. ^ "Olia Hercules: 'Let's not forget that Ukraine is not headlines, it's people'". the Guardian. 2022-03-04. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  19. ^ Buryk, Michael (7 September 2018). "Ukrainian British chef and author offers a fresh look at Ukrainian cuisine". The Ukrainian Weekly. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  20. ^ "A global backyard barbecue". the Guardian. 2013-07-20. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  21. ^ "About – Olia Hercules". Retrieved 2021-10-09.
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