Delicious addition to Polo Park food court Ukrainian newcomers make perogies, other culinary delights, at Taste of Ukraine By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 5:43 PM CST Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 Last Modified: 3:16 PM CST Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 Updates

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This article was published 15/01/2024 (615 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A vacant mall storefront has become a hub where hustling Ukrainian newcomers produce upwards of 1,000 perogies daily.

The clock hadn’t yet struck 10:30 a.m. Monday. Already, Diana Storozhuk was filling takeout containers with perogies and chicken Kyiv for customers.

Above her hung two signs: ‘Taste of Ukraine’ and ‘Grand Opening.’

She smiled, greeting patrons in the CF Polo Park food court. In the back, Ukrainian immigrants kneaded dough and stuffed cabbage rolls.

“I think it’s very good place for start of our career here in Canada,” Storozhuk said.

Taste of Ukraine is different from the café she manned in central Ukraine — then, she offered pizza and coffee. It was a hobby business for her and her husband.

Storozhuk, like her co-workers, fled the war in Ukraine and settled in Winnipeg. The former teacher worked a landscaping job before finding an online application for Taste of Ukraine.

Now she pins a Ukrainian flag to her blue work shirt and sticks near the restaurant’s front counter — several of her co-workers don’t speak much English.

“We are very good friends for now, all our staff,” Storozhuk, 28, said.

The options in the food court were “sad,” coming from home, she noted. The homemade Ukrainian food at Taste of Ukraine is a chance for similar newcomers to “find some food they love,” she added.

A total of 25,000 Ukrainians have immigrated to Manitoba since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to Joanne Lewandosky, president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress’ Manitoba provincial council.

She’s expecting another 7,000 people by the end of March.

“I think it’s very good place for start of our career here in Canada.”–Diana Storozhuk

“It’s January — jobs are far and few right now, but people are managing,” she said.

Many have taken construction work, which can lead to layoffs in the winter, she added. More than 20 Ukrainians are being trained as early childhood educators through a Manitoba Métis Federation program.

Taste of Ukraine was a popular place for immigrants to apply, the restaurant’s manager stated.

For nearly a year, the space — nestled between Tutti Frutti and Fergie’s Fish’n Chips — sat vacant, used as a storage area for neighbour Chinese fast-food restaurant Famous Wok.

“It’s a very expensive storage room,” noted Geoffrey Mack, president of Famous Wok Inc.

Bento Sushi, Famous Bourbon Chicken and Cha House in CF Polo Park fall under Famous Wok Inc.’s umbrella. The corporation has more than 100 stores in Canada, according to Mack. He and staff brainstormed how they could use the vacant Polo Park space, which they still paid rent for.

“There’s a lot of Ukrainian immigrants coming in,” stated Chieu Thang, project director for Famous Wok and Umi Sushi Express, on Monday.

“Their food is great — they make their own, so we don’t have to tell them how to cook. They know what to make.”

“Their food is great — they make their own, so we don’t have to tell them how to cook. They know what to make.”–Chieu Thang

Over the course of November and December, Thang and co-workers raced to put together Taste of Ukraine — determining the menu, hiring newcomers and renovating the interior.

The restaurant had its soft-opening before Christmas.

“We were surprised how well people accepted (it),” said Thang.

A steady stream of customers visited Monday, its grand opening date. Kyle Beemer bought a meat lovers’ perogy bowl, piled with kolbasa, bacon and meatballs.

“It’s a blessing,” the customer said, chowing down. “It’s good to have a fresh restaurant, especially a Ukrainian one.”

He pledged to visit again.

The Polo Park location is a test, according to Mack. If it goes well, he plans to open Taste of Ukraine locations in Kildonan Place, St. Vital Centre and, potentially, his home province of Saskatchewan.

(Famous Wok Inc. already leases space in the two Winnipeg malls’ food courts.)

“Maybe later on, we can help them get into their own business.”–Geoffrey Mack

Famous Wok Inc. doesn’t plan to profit from Polo Park’s Taste of Ukraine, Mack added. Money unspent on operations, including payroll, will be split three ways, he said — one-third each for the eatery’s two managers, and another third dispersed between the newcomer employees.

“Maybe later on, we can help them get into their own business. That’s what we’d like to do,” Mack said.

He mentioned moving some of the workers to Kildonan Place if a Taste of Ukraine opens in the east Winnipeg mall.

Revenue from Taste of Ukraine’s grand opening was slated for the Ukrainian Canadian Congress’s Manitoba chapter. The money will go to humanitarian efforts, including providing newcomer children with beds, Lewandosky said.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com