MADISON, Wis.— The nightly special at a top Madison restaurant is a Ukrainian dish.

“It’s called vareniki, like a pieroigi,” Dave Heide, Lilliana’s chef and owner, said.

Heide said he introduced it on his menu to help make a difference in the war-torn country.

“My motto for everything is [to] show people love with food,” Heide said about his $20 dish.

He said 100% of the proceeds benefit World Central Kitchen. So far, he’s raised more than $5,000.

Heide described Wold Central Kitchen “like the Red Cross of food.”

“They always show up and help people who are [in need] and it’s absolutely incredible organization,” Heide said.

While the food is fitting, at Lilliana’s, the ambience also inspires love for Ukraine.  

Painter Christy Grace learned of Heide’s idea and felt compelled to adorn Lilliana’s windows with a blue sky, yellow sunflower masterpiece.

“What can we do when something’s wrong on the other side of the world?  This is what I can do. This is what speaks to me, is the artwork,” Grace said.

Heide said Graces’ artwork, and the new nightly special, will be around for quite some time. 

“Until it ends, we’re gonna keep on going, and we [are going to] keep trying to help out as much as we can,” Heide said. “I will say, one of the reasons we’ve done that, is something that I’ve seen again and again when crises comes, is that people are 100%; that’s probably talked about for like two weeks, and then fades. And then they don’t talk about it as much anymore. And the funds run out and so we’re trying to keep as much energy going as we can.”

You can learn more about that dish and how to purchase it or make a donation, here.