Superior Sources: A Woodworker In Kyiv

Slava Ukraini

Since the inception of this grinding invasion of Ukraine, many of us have looked for ongoing ways to help not only the refugees who have fled to different countries, but also, equally important, those who have decided to stay to fight for their homes and lives – a decision we all hope never to be forced to make. We got to know a few Ukrainians  in Italy, which has a large Ukrainian community. One family has leased a trattoria serving simple and delicious local-to-Bologna dishes, and the other two work as domestics and caregivers. One member of the restaurant family returned to open a restaurant in Kyiv a year before the Russian invasion. These families remain unbelievably stoic and determined to help in whatever ways they can to free their country from becoming another Russian satellite. 

Ways To Support

The funds that were raised with the delivered Ukrainian dinner by Open Hand Pasta & Provisions and sent to Razom (over $4000.00!) paid for desperately needed medical and tech supplies.These are shipped and distributed through Razom’s network of volunteers and contractors, both here and through Poland to teams inside Ukraine. One program provided black ambulances after the Russian military targeted the standard colored ones. You can learn more about the efforts of Razom as they have several programs you can support.

Anyone reading news reports from authoritarian countries realizes the importance of a free press. After reading in another cooking blog about the Kyiv Independent, I donate through Patreon every month. This online news source (which is in English as well as Ukrainian) is founded by a group of journalists who were fired from The Kyiv Post as its pro-Russian owner wanted to control the reporting. 

Another group  you may not know about is Ukraine Trust Chain, where you can read brutally honest updates about their beginnings and their mission.  A KD reader sent me information about this group, which she and her husband donate to on a regular basis. Ukraine Trust Chain and its volunteers were featured on the PBS News Hour, This all-volunteer group rescues and evacuates people from destroyed areas. They also feed the displaced within Ukraine.  Their site provides you with details about their volunteer teams and the miracles they manage to pull off even in occupied territories. 

Supply Your Kitchen From Ukraine

And you can also purchase from businesses inside Ukraine, as this same reader does. She recently connected me with WoodAndLines. Vitaly Koryakin is the wood worker owner of this small business. I now have two of his beautifully made kitchen utensils, one made from pear wood and the other from apple wood. As a side note, La Cuisine prided itself on the hiqh quality wood kitchen utensils we used to carry, many of them from small family-run companies. Vitaly himself at age 64 has been carving for over forty years and has made a name for himself in several international wood-carving competitions. He said that the cows and bulls were his most popular pieces. He wrote me that creating these beautiful and functional wood kitchen tools was quite relaxing for him, in comparison to his more complex carvings of whimsical figures from Ukrainian folklore. Do look through both his Pinterest and Etsy pages and consider a new kitchen utensil from his unique selection of beautiful woods.He offers custom pieces for your kitchen as well.   My two pieces are sturdy, practical, and represent a high degree of craftsmanship not often found in kitchen utensils.