(CNN) — Considered a “culinary ambassador” for Ukraine, renowned chef Yurii Kovryzhenko has spent years championing the national gastronomy of his home country around the world.
Now Kovryzhenko, who’s previously run restaurants in South Korea and Georgia, as well as Ukraine, is preparing to open a neo-bistro-style establishment in London that will be staffed by Ukrainian refugees.
He and his partner Olga Tsybytovska will launch Mriya in London’s upscale Chelsea neighborhood later this month. But to say this latest venture has arisen out of difficult circumstances is something of an understatement.
The couple were visiting the UK capital from Kyiv for an event at the Embassy of Ukraine when Russia invaded their homeland back in February. They’ve been in the city ever since.
“When I was closing the door of my apartment, I thought that I would be back in 10 days,” Tsybytovska, who previously worked in restaurant marketing, tells CNN Travel. “But life is so unpredictable.”
Championing Ukrainian cuisine
Mriya will serve Ukraine’s national dish borsch, a soup made with beetroot, which was recently added to UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.
Elena Bazu and Dmitriy Novikov
After spending months teaming up with famous British chefs, including Richard Corrigan and Jason Atherton, to raise funds for those affected by the war, they decided to launch Mriya.
The restaurant will offer classic Ukrainian dishes such as borsch, (or borscht) with a modern twist, as well as specialties like fermented watermelon and golubtsi (cabbage rolls) made from courgette flowers.
“I want the people who come here to feel like I do when I’m in a [food] market in other countries,” explains Kovryzhenko, a leading figure in the slow food movement.
“I want them to discover something new — a new taste. I want them to fall in love with Ukrainian food.”
Kovryzhenko uses local products rather than importing food products from Ukraine to ensure that there’s some familiar tastes for diners.
When Mriya opens its doors, he’ll be serving up Ukrainian food made from British products with a “touch” of the influences he’s picked up in other countries.
According to Kovryzhenko, Ukrainian food has a lot of similarities with British food, such as a lack of “aggressive spices,” as well as a fondness for pork, dill and horseradish.
“The taste and the flavor are very similar,” he says. “But at the same time, the [cooking] techniques are totally different. So I think it will…
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