Chef Thierry Marx traveled to Ukraine a few days before the end-of-year holidays, accompanied by Caroline Leclercq, Deputy Mayor of the City of Le Havre—partner city of Mariupol (Маріупольська міська рада)—as well as teams from Cuisine Mode d’Emploi(s) and Stand With Ukraine.
Lviv was the first stop of this visit.
The day began at the Field of Mars, a military cemetery where many Ukrainian defenders who fell in combat are buried. We paid tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for Ukraine. Candles were lit during a particularly moving moment of remembrance, highlighting the human cost of the war.
The visit continued with a culinary masterclass at Lviv’s vocational high school for hospitality and catering, led by Thierry Marx and his team for students and their teachers. This was a moment of knowledge-sharing focused on the fundamentals of the profession, precision of technique, and the high standards of craftsmanship.
The delegation then met with Andriy Sadovyi (Андрій Садовий), Mayor of Lviv. Since the beginning of the Russian aggression and the full-scale invasion, thanks to the work of municipal teams, the city of Lviv has welcomed a large number of displaced persons, supported the wounded, and developed training, healthcare, and reintegration programs.
Another key stop was the Don Bosco Center (Центр професійної освіти Боско), a leading educational and social institution in Lviv. Father Andrii Bodnar, Director of the Center, presented the Don Bosco educational model, which combines vocational training, youth support, and the transmission of values. Discussions focused on culinary training, the importance of core skills, and prospects for international cooperation and teacher exchange programs.
The day concluded at the UNBROKEN Ukraine Center, a unique ecosystem in Ukraine dedicated to the comprehensive care of war-injured patients—from emergency surgery in the first hours after injury to medical care, the production and fitting of prosthetics, rehabilitation, psychological support, social reintegration, and assistance to families.
It was impossible to leave UNBROKEN without organizing a culinary workshop with veterans, followed by a shared dinner with them and their families. In this setting, cooking becomes a space for relief and human connection, but also a therapeutic tool that helps address trauma caused by war.
This is the approach we promote through the training of veterans and displaced persons, and which will be further developed through La Cantine de Mariupol in Dnipro.
At the end of the day, the delegation boarded the night train to Kyiv to continue the visit.
