On the run and almost with what was on, the chef ksenia amber (Odessa, Ukraine, 1984) had to leave his hometown just two weeks ago, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine already underway. Moldova, Romania, Madrid, Tenerife and again Madrid, where the gastronomic congress Madrid Fusión 2022 will close next Wednesday, March 30.
In the meantime, he is staying on loan at a room at a friend’s house, a couple of actors based in Madrid, while looking for an accommodation solution from April. The intention is to make a whole series of solidarity dinners and lunches with Spanish chefs in different cities to raise funds that will go to World Central Kitchen, the NGO that chef José Andrés directs to help the most disadvantaged.
The first two have already taken place, in the Tenerife restaurant Jaxanacuriously commanded by the chef also Ukrainian Alexei Prokopiv, settled in the Canary Islands for years but native of Kherson, one of the cities most battered by Putin’s offensive.
Towards the Russian president, in the time we were able to share with Ksenia, whose integrity is surprising despite the hustle and bustle and the situation, he has nothing but reproaches. “Vladimir Putin is like having a psycho neighbor in your building. You know that it will always bother, but this time it has gone too far”, laments the chef, one of the most important promises of the little-known Ukrainian cuisine, whose name even sounded to enter the ranking of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
In his path, cooking studies in the United States, the work at the M1 Hotel in Odessa, a speaker at Fontegro, a cooking school and from 2017 to 2022, the work at Slow Piggy, the restaurant in Odessa that had catapulted her to local fame.
Now, in our country for a few days, in Ksenia’s short-term plans, thanks to the intercession of Yulia Chessnokova, dedicated to international gastronomic communication in the agency Food and Success, and of Food Design Company, a company from Tenerife dedicated to gastronomic communication, putting Ukrainian cuisine on the table and helping to raise funds for WCK.
Did you think this could happen?
We always thought there was a chance, but even for someone as crazy as him we thought it was going too far. Unfortunately, we were wrong.
Where were you when the invasion started?
We were in kyiv, my husband, who is my social media manager, and I, giving some French cooking courses on broths and stocks to Ukrainian chefs. As the attacks began, we took a carpool and headed back to Odessa.
Today, Odessa (a coastal city on the Black Sea, on the western Ukrainian coast) is not among the areas most attacked by Putin, but the offensive has also begun in western Ukraine.
No, luckily, but it’s terrifying because we don’t know what he’s capable of and also because I think Odessa’s heritage is irreplaceable and someone like him wouldn’t dare raze the city to the ground.
On the day of the invasion, February 24, Ksenia and her husband Georgi were in kyiv, giving cooking classes to Ukrainian chefs.
Beneath this resilient confidence, Ksenia (it reads ‘ecsenia’) speaks of the international welcome, of the patriotism of the Ukrainian people, of a faith in ending the war soon and in a perspective that, from Europe, surprises.
How has the reception been during these days?
A: We have felt the love and support from all over the world since we left Ukraine. My husband cannot leave the country because men of military age cannot leave. Only women and minors have been able to leave, not even the elderly. I suffer a lot because my parents are still in Odessa. Many older people are alone because their sons have gone to the front and their daughters or grandchildren have also been able to go, but they are alone.
What communication do you have with them?
We talk through Telegram and Facebook, mostly, but it’s terrifying. In fact, when I arrived in Spain, the first two bombs were just falling on Odessa, just 10 kilometers from our house.
Do you have friends who have marched to the front?
Two friends, cooks and restaurateurs, left the kitchens and got ready to go to the front. Luckily, they are fine at the moment, but it is not known what can happen.
Do you think the Ukrainian reaction surprises the international public?
Ukrainians are brave and we are used to all kinds of hardships. Even Putin’s aggression does not surprise us because it is part of the Russian character of being expansive. It has always been like this.
History proves it. Russia, in one way or another, has always been a huge and expansionist country. The tsars, the Soviet Union, the CIS and now Russia itself.
Yes, it is so, it is something that cannot be so surprising.
The Western perception is that now Putin has really gone too far, but the response to the invasion of Donbas and Crimea in 2014 was lukewarm from the international community.
Although now there is a great international repercussion and the world is turned to Ukraine, the reality is that this is not a new thing. When he took over Donbas and Crimea, the situation was similar and there was not a great movement of condemnation.
Compared to history, it is a scenario similar to Hitler’s Germany. He first entered the Czech Republic and the West set out to appease him, and when he entered Poland, war was already inevitable.
It’s reality. Putin has already entered Crimea and Donbas and no one raised their voice. It is very sad, but I trust that this war will not only end soon, but that we will also recover what is ours.
Donbas and Crimea?
Yes, I believe that when the invasion is over, Donbas and Crimea will be Ukrainian again.
In a country like Ukraine, with so many Russian inhabitants, I imagine that many of your friends or acquaintances will be Russian. What has been your reaction?
It is the saddest thing of all. We have co-workers, employees, friends… and everyone is quiet. They live in the Ukraine and they work in the Ukraine, but they don’t speak or demonstrate, and that makes me very angry because they are seeing what is happening.
“The saddest thing is that many older people, who cannot fend for themselves, are the ones who cannot leave the country either”
What do you think about the fake news coming from the Russian media?
They are totally distorted. You talk to Russians who live in the Ukraine and they say “How could he have attacked the Mariupol Maternity? That’s impossible” and you have to show them the videos and images so they can see it. Many make a whitewash of the situation that is really worrying.
Speaking of your reception in Spain, what has surprised you the most?
It is a very hospitable country and everyone helps you. It is really moving and the solidarity dinners have worked very well. We want that, through the kitchen, people not only help but also get to know us. That is why we also want to do these solidarity dinners.
Did you know the work of chef José Andrés?
Yes, we knew World Central Kitchen before and the work he has done in other situations. I would love to meet him in person and I think what he does has a lot of value. Not only for giving thousands of meals, but also for giving visibility to the conflict and the situation. Next to him are many Ukrainians cooking and helping.
In Spain, the best known is borsch soup, which is the great Ukrainian recipe. What does this dish mean to you?
Borsch is Ukraine. It is a shared table, it is home cooking, it is home and it is hospitality. I think it is a dish that perfectly represents us as a people and as a culture, which is proof of our welcoming character. Ukraine is a country where many cultures coexist, a welcoming country, which is why this invasion is so damaging.
Pictures | Ksenia Amber / Food Design Company
Direct to the Palate | How to make borsch, the delicious Ukrainian beetroot soup that has crossed borders (recipe with video included)
Direct to the Palate | Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen are already at the Ukrainian border to feed refugees