On 14 September, the first meeting of a gastro club organised by the NGO Heart of Azovstal took place in Kyiv. The event was held at the Strichka restaurant and brought together Mariupol’s defenders and their families. The Gastro Sense team was responsible for the culinary element of the event.
Under the guidance of the chefs, participants prepared a summer salad with halloumi and watermelon, chicken souvlaki in a Greek marinade with lemon and spices, and a plum cake.
Alongside the cooking, the evening also had a cultural dimension: it featured poems by Lina Kostenko and Volodymyr Sosiura, shared aloud, participants offered their own verses, and young women from the community performed Ukrainian songs.
The organisers note that the gastro clubs create an atmosphere of warmth and support, where cookery becomes a reason for open conversation, mutual encouragement and recovery.
It is important to us that Mariupol’s defenders and their families feel part of a community that will always be there for them. The gastro clubs are another step towards creating an environment of trust, warmth and new meaning,”
said Ksenia Sukhova, Director of Heart of Azovstal.
