A sweeping and poignant account of a woman's life and her family history in Ukraine – from the dark years of Soviet rule to the Russian invasion in 2022 – and a beautiful, intimate portrait of a country's fight against erasure and the solace found through family, art, beauty, and food – from chef and co-founder of #CookForUkraine Olia Hercules
Olia Hercules was born and brought up in Ukraine and has spent the past decade traveling around its vast terrain, collecting countless recipes, traditions and stories. She has made it her mission to preserve and document the many unique ways of life she has experienced in her place of origin–both across the country and within her own family–in the pages of her award-winning cookbooks, making her understanding of the land completely unique.
When war broke out in 2022, Olia plunged herself into activism, raising over £2 million to date through the #CookforUkraine; ultimately working with over 140 restaurants in London alone to raise money for UNICEF. In STRONG ROOTS, she takes the reader on a journey, from her grandparents' stories of life during the darkest times of Soviet rule, through to her own childhood as the Iron Curtain started to come apart, and on to the war-torn present day. This is a story about three generations of Olia's extraordinary family–their quests, their quirks, their resilience, their sufferings, imprisonment, and near-starvation under the Communists–as well as their joy, their intense familial natures, and their food. OLIA HERCULES was born in Ukraine and lived in Cyprus before moving to the UK to study English, Italian, and Russian. After working as a chef for several years, she released her bestselling and award-winning debut cookbook, Mamushka, in 2016. This was followed by Kaukasis, Summer Kitchens, and Home Food. Following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Hercules co-founded a movement called #CookForUkraine, which has raised over £2 million pounds for humanitarian efforts. Strong Roots is her first memoir.
