Celebrity Chef's Kitchen Bombed in Ukraine

World Central Kitchen, run by chef José Andrés, said staff members were shaken but safe.

Firefighters work to extinguish multiple fires after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, April 16, 2022.
Firefighters work to extinguish multiple fires after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, April 16, 2022.
AP Photo/Felipe Dana

KHARKIV, Ukraine -- Russia’s bombardment of cities around Ukraine on Saturday included an explosion in Kharkiv that destroyed a community kitchen.

Associated Press journalists at the scene recorded the immediate aftermath of the apparent missile attack. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said three people were killed and 34 wounded by missile strikes Saturday in that city alone.

The kitchen was set up by World Central Kitchen, which is run by celebrity chef José Andrés to establish feeding systems in disaster and war zones. Andrés tweeted that the non-governmental organization’s staff members were shaken but safe.

The organization says it has now reached 30 cities across the country, providing nearly 300,000 meals a day. Andrés said the attack in Kharkiv shows that “to give food in the middle of a senseless war is an act of courage, resilience and resistance" and that his group’s chefs will keep cooking for Ukraine.

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