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. 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 getting masters 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][6] She was then a food stylist for various publications, [7] after which she went on to work at London restaurant Ottolenghi's as a chef-de-partie (line cook).[8][9]

Hercules has appeared on Saturday Kitchen,[10][11] Sunday Brunch,[12] 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.[13]

  • Mamushka: Recipes From Ukraine & Beyond (Octopus Publishing, 2015)[14]
  • Kaukasis: The Cookbook – A Journey Through the Wild East (Octopus Publishing, 2017)[13]
  • Summer Kitchens Inside Ukraine's Hidden Places of Cooking and Sanctuary (Weldon Owen, July 14, 2020)[15]
  • Home Food (Bloomsbury Publishing, 7 July 2022)[16]

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.[17] 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.[18][19]

Awards

Personal life

She married a Greek-Cypriot man in her early twenties and kept his last name ‘Hercules’.[20] She then had a son with fellow chef Tom Catley[21] and is now married to food photographer Joe Woodhouse. The couple have two sons. They live in London.[22]

References
  1. "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), retrieved 2021-10-09
  5. "Interview". Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  6. Hercules, Olia (4 June 2015). Info. Octopus Publishing. ISBN 9781784720384. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  7. "Style Department Represents Olia Hercules, Food Stylist". Style Department. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  8. Whaite, John (2015-06-21). "Olia Hercules: the chef bringing East European food to our tables". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  9. 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.
  10. "24/12/2016, Saturday Kitchen - BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  11. "Saturday Kitchen - BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  12. admin (2020-07-19). "Olia Hercules Pot-Roast Chicken with Herby Crème Fraiche recipe on Sunday Brunch". The Talent Zone. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
  13. "Mitchell Beazley to publish second cookbook by Olia Hercules". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  14. Mamushka. Octopus Books. 4 June 2015. ISBN 9781784720384.
  15. 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)
  16. "Home Food". bloomsbury.com. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  17. 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.
  18. "Russian chef joins forces with Ukrainian best friend to serve food across frontiers". the Guardian. 2022-03-06. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  19. "Olia Hercules: 'Let's not forget that Ukraine is not headlines, it's people'". the Guardian. 2022-03-04. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  20. Buryk, Michael. "Ukrainian British chef and author offers a fresh look at Ukrainian cuisine". The Ukrainian Weekly. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  21. "A global backyard barbecue". the Guardian. 2013-07-20. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  22. "About – Olia Hercules". Retrieved 2021-10-09.
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