World Central Kitchen
What began as four women making 500 sandwiches a day has now turned into a full-scale operation of 10,000 sandwiches and 16,000 hot meals every day at this kitchen in Lviv.
If you don’t know what’s for dinner tonight, consider a visit to the Wicked Butcher downtown.
It’s great food, and starting last Monday, you can eat for a great cause.
For the next four Mondays between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., the restaurant will donate 50% of its proceeds from sales to the Ukraine relief program of the World Central Kitchen. Currently, World Central Kitchen provides 200,000 meals each day to war refugees who are sheltering in Ukraine, in addition to those in Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, and, most recently, Spain.
“We are honored to help these profound efforts of #ChefsforUkraine led by Chef José Andrés,” the restaurant says in a statement attributed to co-executive chefs Richard Triptow and Austin Carlson, as well as the entire Wicked Butcher and DRG Concepts team.
More than 4.2 million Ukrainians have fled their homes since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion on Feb. 24, according to the United Nations.
World Central Kitchen was founded by Andrés and his wife Patricia in 2010. The organization provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. It began with response to the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 that left hundreds of thousands displaced. Hundreds of thousands of others were killed.
Since the invasion, World Central Kitchen has been on the ground supporting families sheltering in the country as well as refugees. Based in its relief kitchen in Przemysl, Poland, the organization has mobilized a vast network of chefs and volunteers across six countries.
In Lviv, what began as four women making 500 sandwiches a day has now turned into a full-scale operation of 10,000 sandwiches — as well as 16,000 hot meals — being prepared every day at World Central Kitchen. The team there continues to work even through continual air-raid siren warnings that force them to shelter multiple times a day.
They work at-risk of their lives as allegations of indiscriminate bombing of civilians by Russian forces persist. President Joe Biden said on Monday that alleged atrocities committed in Bucha amounted to a “war crime,” and called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be put on trial by an international tribunal.
One World Central Kitchen chef is near Bucha. His team is cooking 1,500 daily plates, including bulgur, fish cutlet, vegetable salad, and rice soup with pork, according to a story published by World Central Kitchen. Meals are provided to the Ohmatdyt National Children's Hospital and refugees who have fled from Bucha and Irpin.
“Since the beginning of the war, I thought, 'What can I do to help?'” the chef says. “And then it came to me! I’ve dedicated my whole life to cooking and that’s what I’m the best at.”
The Wicked Butcher in Fort Worth is at 512 Main Street. Reservations can be made at www.wickedbutcher.com or by calling 682-231-8214.