Olia Hercules Explained

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, and spent her early childhood in the town of Kakhovka. She is of Russian and Bessarabian (Moldovan) origin. 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.

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.[4] She was then a food stylist for various publications, [5] after which she went on to work at London restaurant Ottolenghi's as a chef-de-partie (line cook).[6] [7]

Hercules has appeared on Saturday Kitchen,[8] [9] Sunday Brunch,[10] 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.[11]

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.[15] 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.[16] [17]

Awards

Personal life

She married a Greek-Cypriot man in her early twenties and kept his last name ‘Hercules’.[18] She then had a son with fellow chef Tom Catley[19] and is now married to food photographer Joe Woodhouse. The couple have two sons. They live in London.[20]

External links

Notes and References

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

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