Chef Klopotenko: “Before I cooked for people, thousands of portions per army in war”

“For days I had been prepared for what would happen next. I had put documents, clothes and food in the car. On February 24, at 4 in the morning, my partner called me and told me that something had started and we had to go out of Kiev. Not there was still no information, nothing, but in five minutes I picked up my sister and her son and we went to our house outside the capital. They weren’t bombing yet, but there were already tanks near the airport. every second, how I felt, how scared I was while driving and looking at the sky because I wanted to be careful of airplanes or bombs and I was trying to figure out what I could do if a bomb fell. ” Speaking at Adnkronos is Yevghen Klopotenko, a 35-year-old Ukrainian cook who fled the war and is now “serving” in his restaurant, which opened ahead of time and before the planned renovation, to feed Ukrainian soldiers. “For now I’m in the west of Ukraine, where I had decided to open a restaurant before the war – says Yevghen – I didn’t have time to renew, but people sit down and can order, both if they have the possibility to pay and if they have nothing. At the moment we are cooking for the army and civilians: we decided to open the doors to everyone. This is how I transformed my business: before I cooked for people, in wartime I cook for soldiers . But I think it is normal, in Ukraine everyone is trying to help. The restaurant, moreover, is in a basement: here you can also sleep and people who need to rest find refuge “. And he says: “Once I looked at slow food, today I no longer think about menus, about small portions: I only think about feeding people, about how to cook large quantities of food, like the kilos of potatoes they just brought me. more cooking for business, but cooking to save the population. We are preparing about 1500 servings a day, sometimes we have rice, other cereals or meat; there is a guy who works in a small government company as a fishery manager and he has brought about 500 kg of fish. They don’t ask for money, they just donate. I know of restaurants in Kiev that prepare up to 20 thousand portions every day. I think it would be nice – continues the chef – if all over the world Bosch, ours typical dish, so as to let us Ukrainians know that you are with us “. “I’m scared, of course. Living in Ukraine today is like some time ago with Covid – he says – you don’t know what will happen tomorrow, you can’t plan anything anymore. People no longer know if it’s Monday or Tuesday. We have learned to distinguish the noise of tanks, helicopters or bombs. We no longer know what the future means. But we try to stay strong, everyone does what they can to help. Historically, we have always been under Russia which has prevented us from living freely. I think that every Ukrainian has hatred for Russia in their DNA and this is the reason why many people wanted to join the army: there is even a queue to enlist and kill the invaders. This is our strength, for the future. , for our dreams. In the future of Ukraine I see a total reconstruction in a few years, as if it were a new state “. (by Silvia Mancinelli)