A Kitchen Dialog With Chef Olia Hercules

At this time, 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 mandatory than ever. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Olia poured all her power into activism and organizing, co­founding #CookForUkraine with good friend and chef Alissa Timoshkina, and elevating greater than $2.5 million for organizations, together with the Legacy of Warfare Basis, Select Love, and UNICEF. Her spacious dwelling 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 time, Olia dives deep into her relationship with the thought of dwelling, and the cyclical nature of settling in and in the end being solid out that has affected her household throughout Japanese Europe for generations. After we caught up just lately, we talked about bringing parts 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 instances.

Alex Testere: What first drew you to this dwelling?

Olia Hercules: I’ve lived in London for about 22 years, and on the finish of 2017, we had been in search of a home that is also a studio for my cooking courses and for my husband Joe’s images. Our buddies moved into a brand new place and talked about the home throughout the road was on the market. The lady 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 large cooker with two sides the place we will chop, virtually like his-and-hers, which was good as properly. Joe had these huge customized slicing boards at our earlier home, they usually slotted completely into the sideboard. It was fortunate—it had been achieved just about how we’d have achieved it anyway.

What position does the kitchen play in your house now? 

It’s the epicenter of all the pieces. I work there, and we’ve received a bit of sofa the place I prefer to learn. I host cooking courses there, and document ­movies for the web classes I host on Patreon. Joe will generally use it as a studio. We’ve crammed it with crops, so it’s a bit of little bit of a jungle. With the French doorways and this large, tarnished Thirties mirror, there’s a lot mild. It feels such as you’re exterior or in an orangery.

Is there some particular significance behind the crops?

After we moved in, there have been two ­essential issues I wished: a protracted desk lots of people may sit at, and the crops. I discovered this lady 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 essential to me as a result of my grandmother was mainly, you realize, she was inside and outside. She had crops in all places, and my mom as properly, so I suppose it is a continuation of that.

After I describe my dad and mom’ dwelling, 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 all the time get on the grocery store. And I’ve received so many little objects that replicate 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 suppose, however it jogs my memory of how I’m continuously making an attempt to marry my recollections of Ukraine with how we dwell right here in London.

There are most likely 50 jars sitting round at totally 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 will get very energetic and leak in all places. The fridge is stuffed with them, too. Poor Joe is simply ready for me to begin giving them away. 

You’ve received a variety of totally 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 undoubtedly not minimalists, me and Joe. He loves his French brocante, so we most likely may package out a restaurant with what number of classic French plates we’ve received. I’ve turn out to be fairly obsessive about baskets, which we now have hanging from the ceiling, and which I exploit 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 all places, that are the image of Kherson, my dwelling area in Ukraine. We even have these unbelievable cushions from Finnish designer Klaus Haapaniemi, with materials primarily based on Finnish fairy tales. It’s a riot of shade.

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

Artwork has actually turn out to be my remedy during the last couple years, you realize, each time I’m feeling unhappy or there’s dangerous 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, truly. Earlier than holidays, folks will paint ornamental designs and crops on their partitions, which is able to suck within the dangerous power and evil spirits; afterward, they whitewash the partitions and begin recent. So I’ve received this door, and this time I’ve achieved a mural of dill flowers. The paint is kind of thick at this level!

I’m undoubtedly going to begin doing that with the previous kitchen doorways at my home. With all the ornamental element, how do you retain the kitchen purposeful? 

Most of that [décor] is within the eating space—we’ve received this entire different extra purposeful aspect. There’s fairly an enormous larder, and these stainless-steel sinks we put in, like correct restaurant-style, which we wanted for the type of work we’re doing. There are pots and pans in all places, together with an enormous 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 exploit for fermenting, and kitchen towels, that are so helpful. There’s my grandmother’s rolling pin, which has most likely rolled hundreds of dumplings all through its life. Oh! And the way may I neglect about Pylyp!?

Pylyp is a big steel 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 entire heads of cabbage, which I truly do quite a bit, to ferment or to make cabbage rolls. Pylyp is likely one of the most essential family members.

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

Generally I’m like, “Oh my god, do folks suppose I’m fully nuts?” However I believe 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. Individuals have instructed me they really feel instantly at dwelling right here, although. I simply need to carry round life, you realize? And I need dwelling issues round me always, particularly now. All of these objects, the backyard, the crops—they offer me power.