Olia Hercules is a Ukrainian-born, London-based chef, food writer, and culinary storyteller renowned for bringing the vibrant flavours and traditions of Eastern Europe to a global audience. Olia trained at Leiths School of Food and Wine and went on to work as a chef de partie at Ottolenghi, later becoming a sought-after recipe developer and stylist. Her debut cookbook, Mamushka (2015), won the Fortnum & Mason Debut Food Book Award and earned her the Observer’s Rising Star accolade. She’s since published celebrated cookbooks including Kaukasis (2017), Summer Kitchens (2020), and Home Food (2022), each weaving rich cultural narratives into home-style recipes. In response to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Olia co-founded the #CookForUkraine initiative, raising over £2 million for relief efforts and earning prestigious awards from Observer Food Monthly, the Guild of Food Writers, and 50 Best Restaurants. Featured among British Vogue’s Most Influential Women of 2022, she continues to advocate for her heritage through writing, teaching, and activism. She hosts workshops, writes for major food publications, and has just released her latest book Strong Roots, a family memoir exploring Ukraine’s history and hope through generations. It’s available here - https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/strong-roots-9781526662965/
Olia Hercules is our guest in episode 501 of My Time Capsule and chats to Michael Fenton Stevens about the five things she'd like to put in a time capsule; four she’d like to preserve and one she’d like to bury and never have to think about again .
Strong Roots by Olia is available here - https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/strong-roots-9781526662965
The online Ukrainian seed shop that Olia mentions is here - https://organicseeds.top
For Olia’s books, workshops, recipes and articles, visit - https://oliahercules.com
Follow Olia Hercules on Instagram: @oliahercules & Twitter/X: @Olia_Hercules
Follow My Time Capsule on Instagram: @mytimecapsulepodcast & Twitter/X & Facebook: @MyTCpod .
Follow Michael Fenton Stevens on Twitter/X: @fentonstevens & Instagram @mikefentonstevens .
Produced and edited by John Fenton-Stevens for Cast Off Productions .
Music by Pass The Peas Music .
Artwork by matthewboxall.com .
This podcast is proud to be associated with the charity Viva! Providing theatrical opportunities for hundreds of young people .
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