Ukrainian Chef in SF Finds Comfort Cooking Traditional Food — and Raises Thousands in Relief Aid

Anna Voloshyna faces a chef’s dilemma: She hasn’t had much of an appetite lately — curbed by the anxiety over whether her family remains safe back home near the port city of Kherson in southern Ukraine.

“I heard from them [that] four bombs were dropped onto our tiny city,” she told KQED recently from her kitchen in San Francisco. “This was the first time I heard from them that war is actually in our city. It’s been harder every day.”

Voloshyna, 32, said her family is safe, so far. So these days, she finds comfort in making some of her favorite recipes, such as varenyky, traditional dumplings that contain sweet or savory fillings.

“I love making these dumplings because you’re doing something with your hands. It’s calming,” she said. “This is what keeps me sane, because if I start reading the news, I will just sink into despair.”

Voloshyna lights up as she’s preparing the dough for these half-moon-shaped dumplings, which are simple but packed with flavor.

This recipe, which comes from her mother-in-law, calls for a basic dough (flour, eggs and water) that’s cut into small circles. These will house a filling of choice — today, she selects a special cheese she bought at a Slavic store in San Francisco. She boils the dumplings for a few minutes, tosses them in brown butter and adds a hearty dollop of sour cream.

“In Ukraine, sour cream is like butter,” she said, laughing. “Ukrainian food is very comforting. A lot of carbs.”

Voloshyna, who has a cookbook coming out later this year, has a passion for sharing the stories and dishes of her homeland.

She and her husband moved to the Bay Area in 2011, and over the years she’s hosted pop-up dinners featuring Slavic dishes. These ongoing dinners have assumed new urgency, with Voloshyna pivoting to use them as a way to raise thousands of dollars in relief funds as Russian forces continue to invade Ukraine. Proceeds from a dinner on March 13 went to World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that’s serving thousands of meals to Ukrainian families fleeing home as well as those who remain in the country.

Voloshyna also is holding online cooking classes including one taking place Saturday, and she’s signed up for a bake-a-thon on Sunday that has already raised its goal of $20,000.

Voloshyna talked about these efforts and how she’s been holding up with KQED morning host Brian Watt.

BRIAN WATT: Are you able to speak with your family every day?

ANNA VOLOSHYNA: I talk with them almost every day. For the past two days [as of Tuesday, March 15], I wasn’t able to talk to them as often as I want to because there was no light, no electricity, no internet. But some parts were restored. At least for a couple hours a day, they have internet and electricity, so they can recharge their phones and call me.

How are you processing news about Russia’s invasion?

Most of the time, I try to stay busy and cook for people or get donations. I try to do something good and tangible that I actually take my mind off the war.

You have been hosting dinners to raise money. How are they going?

We had our first dinner on March 13, and it was amazing. It was probably the most wonderful dinner I’ve ever had because the community came together, and the support I got was overwhelming. Probably 10 minutes before the dinner, somebody brought me a letter at the venue [where] we hosted the dinner. I don’t know who wrote that letter and I opened it. It was actually a check for $1,000. (Voloshyna later told KQED she donated $6,000 raised during that March 13 dinner to World Central Kitchen.)

It sounds like you’ve got quite a following on social media. It’s been very good to you for these efforts, right?

Yes, I’m lucky to be a part of this San Francisco culinary community because people here are kind and generous. And if they cannot donate money, they will donate their time. The support here keeps me afloat.

Do you worry that if this war continues, it could lead to an erasure of culture, including Ukrainian cuisine?

This is one of my biggest fears because Russia has a mission to destroy Ukraine. They will not allow us to keep our culture, and our cuisine will suffer from that.

I want a Michelin guide in Ukraine. I want amazing chefs who will turn Ukrainian cuisine into something new and exciting — not only traditional but something modern and creative. But if Russia wins, then I will have to keep the traditions. I don’t want to tell stories about the past. I want to create the future for our cuisine.

You can find details on Anna Voloshyna’s cooking classes — with proceeds supporting relief efforts in Ukraine — on her Instagram.