Cook For Ukraine

A social media and hospitality star’s relief campaign raising money for UNICEF and families of all backgrounds fleeing the war-torn country

Thursday 3 March 2022

As the conflict in Ukraine intensifies, we are all looking for ways to help the citizens of every background caught up in the fighting.

Having already raised £40,000, Cook For Ukraine – a global food and drink campaign – has already gained significant traction over a matter of days. Set up by a team fronted by Instagram food influencer, Clerkenwell Boy, the campaign takes inspiration from the Cook For Syria fundraiser they helped create, which raised more than £1m for UNICEF.

For the campaign, Clerkenwell Boy has partnered with the NEXTGen London team led by Layla Yarjani, along with chefs Olia Hercules, Alissa Timoshkina, and friends. The initiative kick-started with Hercules and Timoshkina collating and sharing Ukrainian and Eastern European recipes and stories to raise cultural awareness around Ukraine beyond the conflict, while encouraging donations.

With more people volunteering and becoming aware, fundraising events, supper clubs, and cooking workshops have also been set up in the coming days and weeks to aid the cause.

Having run successful food campaigns in the past (Cook For Syria, Bake For Beirut and Australia Is Burning), Clerkenwell Boy’s model is tried and tested.

‘Food has the power to connect communities from different backgrounds,’ he tells Soho House. ‘The recipes we have shared for free on our Just Giving page, plus the stories behind each dish, can help to educate us about Ukrainian and Eastern European culture, and help to preserve the memory of war-torn countries.’

The Cook For Ukraine team, alongside UNICEF, have said that more than 7.5 million children could be left without access to essential services as the conflict intensifies. The money raised will be used by UNICEF to support families fleeing conflict in Ukraine with safe water, emergency supplies, and psychological support. This is part of their sustained effort to ensure the health, wellbeing, and protection of children globally.

Soho House is proud to support Cook For Ukraine and UNICEF. If you would like to get involved and donate, you can order ‘invisible pierogies’ – a Ukraine speciality – from Soho House menus across the month of March. Soho House will match all donations made.

To find out more about the campaign and the multiple ways you can get involved, click here.