A Kitchen Dialog With Chef Olia Hercules

Immediately, in London, on the Leytonstone home she shares along with her husband, ­photographer Joe Woodhouse, and their two sons, Sasha and Wilf, that spirit of conviviality is alive and properly—and extra vital than ever. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Olia poured all her vitality into activism and organizing, co­founding #CookForUkraine with buddy and chef Alissa Timoshkina, and elevating greater than $2.5 million for organizations, together with the Legacy of Struggle Basis, Select Love, and UNICEF. Her spacious house kitchen is an anchor for this work, in addition to a vital refuge from it—a spot the place she will be able to encompass herself with magnificence, life, and artwork, which she treats as a type of remedy.

In her forthcoming memoir, Robust Roots: A Memoir of Meals, Household, and Ukraine, out this summer season, Olia dives deep into her relationship with the concept of house, and the cyclical nature of settling in and finally being forged out that has affected her household throughout Japanese Europe for generations. After we caught up lately, we talked about bringing components of those household histories into the kitchen (particularly within the type of Ukrainian work and embroidery), the life-giving energy of surrounding oneself with crops, an industrial-size cooking gadget by the identify of Pylyp, and the way to attract power from all of them throughout troublesome occasions.

Alex Testere: What first drew you to this house?

Olia Hercules: I’ve lived in London for about 22 years, and on the finish of 2017, we had been on the lookout for a home that may be a studio for my cooking lessons and for my husband Joe’s images. Our mates moved into a brand new place and talked about the home throughout the road was on the market. The girl who lived there earlier than had constructed this big kitchen extension, type of like a eating space and cookery space collectively, and there was this huge cooker with two sides the place we are able to chop, virtually like his-and-hers, which was good as properly. Joe had these huge customized reducing boards at our earlier home, and so they slotted completely into the sideboard. It was fortunate—it had been completed just about how we’d have completed it anyway.

What function does the kitchen play in your house now? 

It’s the epicenter of every thing. I work there, and we’ve received somewhat sofa the place I wish to learn. I host cooking lessons there, and report ­movies for the web classes I host on Patreon. Joe will generally use it as a studio. We’ve stuffed it with crops, so it’s somewhat little bit of a jungle. With the French doorways and this huge, tarnished Thirties mirror, there’s a lot mild. It feels such as you’re outdoors or in an orangery.

Is there some particular significance behind the crops?

After we moved in, there have been two ­necessary issues I wished: an extended desk lots of people might sit at, and the crops. I discovered this girl on Etsy who lives close by and propagated a great deal of crops that I received for fairly low cost. And now they’re big, they’re like these huge timber that fill the kitchen. It’s necessary to me as a result of my grandmother was principally, you recognize, she was inside and outside. She had crops in every single place, and my mom as properly, so I assume this can be a continuation of that.

After I describe my dad and mom’ house, the very first thing that involves thoughts is the backyard. For Ukrainians, this concept of a backyard and of the land is essential. Our kitchen opens proper onto the backyard, the place I’ve principally received herbs and medicinals, issues I can’t at all times get on the grocery store. And I’ve received so many little objects that mirror the plant world—embroideries, dried flowers, these Ukrainian Petrykivka-style work of a person in a backyard, a fish in a barrel. It’s all fairly surreal, I assume, however it jogs my memory of how I’m continually making an attempt to marry my reminiscences of Ukraine with how we stay right here in London.

There are most likely 50 jars sitting round at completely different ranges of fermentation—purple corn, aubergines, cabbages, tomatoes. I’ve received all these experiments, and many them are set on plates as a result of they’ll get very energetic and leak in every single place. The fridge is filled with them, too. Poor Joe is simply ready for me to start out giving them away. 

You’ve received loads of completely different objects on show. Have you ever collected them over time?

They constructed up fairly step by step. I wouldn’t say we’re hoarders, however we’re positively not minimalists, me and Joe. He loves his French brocante, so we most likely might package out a restaurant with what number of classic French plates we’ve received. I’ve turn into fairly obsessive about baskets, which we now have hanging from the ceiling, and which I take advantage of for foraging. I’m actually into Ukrainian issues, clearly, so I’ve received a great deal of pottery, textiles, and hand-embroidered vintage cloths. There are watermelons in every single place, that are the image of Kherson, my house area in Ukraine. We even have these unimaginable cushions from Finnish designer Klaus Haapaniemi, with materials based mostly on Finnish fairy tales. It’s a riot of colour.

I do know you’ve been doing extra portray and drawing currently. Does that ­occur within the kitchen, too?

Artwork has actually turn into my remedy over the past couple years, you recognize, at any time when I’m feeling unhappy or there’s unhealthy information, I simply go, okay, time to get portray. I’ve received my revolving remedy door within the kitchen that I paint—it’s a Ukrainian custom, really. Earlier than holidays, individuals will paint ornamental designs and crops on their partitions, which can suck within the unhealthy vitality and evil spirits; afterward, they whitewash the partitions and begin recent. So I’ve received this door, and this time I’ve completed a mural of dill flowers. The paint is kind of thick at this level!

I’m positively going to start out doing that with the outdated kitchen doorways at my home. With all the ornamental element, how do you retain the kitchen useful? 

Most of that [décor] is within the eating space—we’ve received this complete different extra useful aspect. There’s fairly a giant larder, and these stainless-steel sinks we put in, like correct restaurant-style, which we would have liked for the type of work we’re doing. There are pots and pans in every single place, together with a large pot for when I’m making an industrial quantity of soup. We by no means make a small pot of borshch. I’ve received hundreds and a great deal of jars I take advantage of for fermenting, and kitchen towels, that are so helpful. There’s my grandmother’s rolling pin, which has most likely rolled 1000’s of dumplings all through its life. Oh! And the way might I overlook about Pylyp!?

Pylyp is a huge metallic steamer Joe received at a Vietnamese store close by for my first dumpling class, and naturally we needed to give him a Ukrainian identify. He comes out just about each time I’ve a category or after I’m making a ton of dumplings. He’s additionally very helpful for steaming complete heads of cabbage, which I really do loads, to ferment or to make cabbage rolls. Pylyp is among the most necessary family members.

We should always all be so fortunate to have a Pylyp within the household. Whether or not it’s household or people coming for a cooking class, what do you hope your company really feel whenever you invite them in?

Generally I’m like, “Oh my god, do individuals suppose I’m fully nuts?” However I feel they really feel that heat. Joe and I joke that when the children are older, we’ll have a extra pristine kitchen, however for now it’s simply chaos. Folks have informed me they really feel instantly at house right here, although. I simply need to deliver round life, you recognize? And I would like residing issues round me always, particularly now. All of these objects, the backyard, the crops—they provide me power.