Yuliia Tymoshenko the Culinary Operations Lead of World Central Kitchen in the Ukraine discusses her role in providing food relief in the war-torn country, where meals offer both nourishment and emotional connection. Raised cooking beside her grandmother, Yuliia shares how traditional foods like borscht and varenyky help preserve culture, comfort communities, and create resilience amid displacement, conflict, and uncertainty.

Bettina Iseli of Welthungerhilfe joins us to discuss global food security, humanitarian aid, climate resilience, and conflict. Drawing on decades of experience in vulnerable regions, she explores the challenges of delivering aid, strengthening local food systems, and navigating the growing political and ethical complexities facing international humanitarian organizations today.

Michael Shaikh, New York–based writer and human rights investigator, joins us to explore food in conflict zones. His book The Last Sweet Bite reveals how war reshapes not just lives, but what and how people eat. From Myanmar to Uyghur regions, food becomes both a tool of control and an act of resistance. This conversation uncovers how culinary traditions endure under extreme pressure. A powerful look at dignity, identity, and survival, told through the lens of food, memory, and the people who refuse to let their culture disappear.