Chicago chefs unite to aid Ukraine

How it started: "After seeing the devastation of all the people fleeing and hiding, I couldn't help myself but to reach out to the chef community," Piccolo Sogno chef Tony Priolo tells Axios.

• Priolo then contacted fellow chefs Sarah Stegner (Prairie Grass) and Jason Hammel (Lula Cafe). In a few days, the core group got dozens more on board.

Key sponsor: Morton Grove-based Lifeway Kefir. CEO Julie Smolyansky says sponsoring the event was an easy choice.

• Smolyansky was born in Kyiv and much of her staff also hail from the former Soviet Union.

What she's saying: "We have folks who still have family or friends who are directly impacted," she tells Axios. "And they are being re-traumatized watching all of this devastation, even though we're an ocean away. So it's just part of our DNA to do this."

• "As a refugee whose family came here from the Soviet Union in 1976, it's surreal to see this again, but it's also inspiring to see the outpouring of humanity."

If you go: Tickets start at $150 for the three-hour event. The final chef lineup is still being firmed up.