Celebrity chefs and supporters across the world are joining the “Chefs for Unity” initiative to raise money for José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen which is providing humanitarian relief for Ukrainians as they continue fighting for their country. According to Wine Spectator, the initiative was started by Atelier Crenn chef and co-owner Dominique Crenn in partnership with Chef Ming Tsai, and World Chef, a producer of food TV shows and cook-along meal kits, to help support Ukraine. Anyone can participate in the “breaking bread challenge” as it is being called, by purchasing Crenn’s Unity Bread Kit with proceeds going to support World Central Kitchen.
Through the sales of the kits, which include ingredients and instructions for baking Crenn’s pain de mie, Chefs for Unity is anticipating being able to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to support World Central Kitchen’s work in Ukraine. Each kit costs $100 and includes a 2022 membership to World Chef’s services. Supporting the initiative are celebrity chefs across the globe including Tom Colicchio of Craft in New York, René Redzepi of Noma in Copenhagen, Food Network star Giada de Laurentiis, and José Andrés himself among many others. Crenn shared that she hopes Chefs for Unity becomes an annual fundraiser to “support causes across the globe,” noting that “together we can do so much.”
World Chef CEO and co-founder Mike Duffy told Wine Spectator that Crenn’s “vision to create a global moment of unity – a profound moment where people across the globe literally break bread together – is so compelling and beautiful.” Duffy asserted that food has the power to unify people, and highlighted the incredible efforts chef José Andrés has taken helping to feed Ukrainians in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s February invasion. Wine Spectator reports that World Central Kitchen has “served more than 16 million meals and delivered more than 8 million pounds of food in Ukraine and neighboring countries.”
Uniting people across the globe in an effort for humanitarian relief is a special moment where differences are cast aside to help others. Crenn, Tsai, and World Chef have started a movement that will not only help Ukrainians who have long been suffering, but raise awareness of the power of food to bring people together in hopes that their good work extends to others in need.