Meet the Local Food Makers Who Feel Compelled to Help Ukraine

March 23, 2022 – Like many observers of the war Vladimir Putin has rained down on Ukraine, Monterey Bay native Kyle Odell was feeling powerless. 

So he decided to do something. Or, more accurately, not do something: He would skip eating for a day.

“I was seeing it all unfold and how horrible it is—how horrible destruction has fallen on people just trying to live their lives, on their families, their people, their communities,” he says. “I was sensing a complete helplessness.”

He asked himself how he could contribute in a meaningful way. He decided to post word of a day-long fast on social media and why he was doing it. He also invited others to join him—and to donate what they might otherwise spend on food and drink to World Central Kitchen, which has been cooking hot meals for refugees in Ukraine and nearby countries.

“I am not religious, but I do believe fasting can be used as a deep prayer,” Odell says. “I wanted to use this abstinence to offer support in spirit, and then bring that into reality through some actual money, to work both sides of that equation, both spiritual and practical.”

Odell has spent much of his life in the front and back of the house in restaurants around Monterey Bay and the San Francisco Bay. It turns out that his first day working in a kitchen in a long time—at the Orcas Cafe where we worked together amid early COVID—was the day he chose to fast.

Which was a little awkward, because good cooking involves tasting and re-tasting what you make. He chose to spit. “Tasting, not consuming!” he says.

Ultimately, Odell enjoyed the chance to abstain and reflect so much that he’s decided to do it once a month for the rest of his life.

While the war continues, so do other local food-centric efforts to keep the fight front of mind and generate some financial support.

Here appear some of those efforts:

Glory to Ukraine Benefit Concert and Dinner – Carmel High’s student-run This Club Saves Lives group is assembling a dinner-concert combo Friday, April 1, at the MEarth Hilton Bialek Habitat at Carmel Middle School to raise monies for United Nations Children’s Fund (aka UNICEF).

A $10 donation includes a slice of pizza, dessert from Sweet Reba’s and a drink. Dinner starts at 5:30, and the outdoor concert, which will be led by the Carmel High’s Singer-Songwriter Club, starts at 6pm. 

Meanwhile Sweet Reba’s in Carmel’s Barnyard Shopping Village has made a habit of prepping up Ukrainian-inspired items and donating the proceeds to the International Rescue Committee Fund and the Ukrainian relatives of one of their employees. The offerings have included cupcakes with the Ukrainian national flower on them (the sunflower) and themed cookies, while every purchase of borscht also kicks in a donation. 

“It’s been cool seeing people from the community come in and donate $20 without even buying a cupcake,” co-owner Mike Abbruzzese says. “They’re looking for avenues for how they can contribute, so when Reba tied together her creativity and baked goods, it made it easy.”

Those unable to attend the dinner-concert can donate via Venmo (@thisclub-saveslives), PayPal (@thisclubsaveslives), or with cash or check to This Club Saves Lives dropped off at the Carmel High School associated student body office.

Not So Secret Bake for Ukraine – Andrew McClelland can identify with that feeling of powerlessness. His response was to do something he does well: Bake tasty things. For the first two installments of Secret Bakery’s Not So Secret Bake for Ukraine at the weekly Oldtown Salinas Farmers Market, he raised nearly $1,000 for the World Food Program using recipes honoring Ukrainian heritage, like pampushky and rohalyky. 

He took his newsletter as a platform to honor Ukraine’s role in the planet’s food web, noting it is often called “the bread basket of Europe,” with a harvest that accounts for 10 percent of the world’s wheat. “It is a major source of grain for both Europe and the World Food Program that helps feed sub-Sahara Africa and other developing countries,” he wrote. “I shudder to think of the impact on world hunger.”

McClelland’s Secret Bakery is a regular at the 9am-2pm Saturday market in Oldtown Salinas. The third Bake for Ukraine happens there this weekend, featuring more Ukrainian recipes like a sunflower halva croissant.  

“You gotta do something,” McClelland says.

Olga’s Soup Kitchen – Chef Jessica Yarr launched her pop-up restaurant Chicken Foot in 2020 around plant-based Eastern European fare like potato- and sauerkraut-stuffed dumplings. Earlier this month she staged a soup fundraiser that raised $2,400 for Sunflower of Peace and its humanitarian aid in Ukraine. Now Yarr is keeping that momentum going with Olga’s Soup Kitchen, named after her Ukrainian grandmother. 

Ten percent of each soup order—options include borscht or a potato-sorrel soup called schavel, both served with Ukrainian garlic bread—will be directed to Voices of Children, which provides psychological and psychosocial support to children affected by the conflict. Those interested can message Chicken Foot via Instagram.

Chicken Foot also appears this Saturday at the Westside Santa Cruz Farmers Market (9am-1pm). The March 26 menu includes a range of incredible pierogi flavors, borsht, dulce de leche brioche donuts, farmers cheese blintzes and granola by the pound.  

“I have a platform with a following and Ukrainian heritage,” Yarr says. “So I wanted to use my platform and resources to support any way I could. It’s the idea of doing what I can because I can.”

Sugar Bakery Macarons for Peace – Ukrainian born-and-raised Ela Crawford wouldn’t call Aptos home if it weren’t for 2016’s Ukrainian conflict, which forced her to flee. Now her friends and family back home are at risk, so she and her husband decided to leverage their gifts for good. 

The most popular seller in their fundraising push has been blue and yellow macarons representing the Ukrainian flag. Supporters can message The Sugar Bakery via Instagram or Facebook and arrange pickup or drop off. To date they’ve raised $8,500 that they’ve donated directly to friends, family and small community churches who are buying food to feed the community. 

When Edible reached the Crawfords, they were visiting the Ukrainian embassy in San Francisco. They echoed the theme heard from each group contacted for this piece.

“We were feeling helpless,” Henry says. “We did this because we wanted to at least do something for those in need.”

Please share any additional support efforts via info@ediblemontereybay.com and we will help get the word out.