In Ukraine, the couple owned several businesses. In March, they moved to Winnipeg
Olha Mashyna might be meant to be a cook.
This year, she and her family left Ukraine because of the war and moved to Winnipeg. A chance meeting with the owner of a restaurant in Manitoba led her back to doing what she loves: cooking Ukrainian food.
Olha Mashyna and her husband, Oleksandr Mashyn, cook and sell Ukrainian food every Monday and Tuesday at a restaurant called Le Goûter in Albert Beach, Man.
On those days, the owners usually close the restaurant, but they let Mashyna and her husband use their kitchen for free.
Mashyna says that it gave them a chance to get some work experience and make some money.
“It’s a long way from where we live, but it’s an experience. Mashyna told CBC, “It’s a big deal.”
Mashyna and her family moved to the Transcona neighborhood in Winnipeg in March.
They came from a village near Zaporizhzhia, about 10 kilometers from the front lines, where they owned two stores and ran a cafe.
She said that it was hard to get used to her new life after leaving her life in Ukraine.
“Every day, we work hard. We have everything in Ukraine. We have two cars and two apartments. We’ve got money. She said, “We have life.”
“I missed my store a lot. “I love it.”
But by chance, Mashyna met Lise Bourassa, the owner of Le Goûter, at a course on how to handle food in April.
“We started talking, and I realized we have a lot in common,” said Bourassa, who owns the restaurant with her husband about 100 kilometers north of Winnipeg on the shore of Lake Winnipeg. The couple also owns the Saffies General Store, which is right across the street from the restaurant.
“We just kind of hit it off right away,” she said.
Bourassa said that she and her husband had already planned to close the restaurant for a few nights a week because they didn’t have enough cooks.
She told CBC, “The restaurant is here, and this is a gift we can give them, just as the community gave us a lot when we first moved here.”
Mashyna’s menu has been a hit so far. It has perogies, cabbage rolls, borscht, meatballs, and other Ukrainian favorites.
She said, “They always say “thank you” and “it’s delicious.” “It’s great.”
Even people from Winnipeg drive in to eat there at night. Bourassa said that Mashyna works and that the food usually sells out every night.
“It’s amazing how many people are coming and learning about it,” Bourassa said.
Mashyna isn’t sure if she would move back to Ukraine now that so much has been destroyed. Instead, she is looking to rent a kitchen or restaurant in or near Winnipeg before Le Goûter closes for the season in September.
“I’m a big fan of Canada. She said, “I can see how I could work here.” “Perhaps it’s my fate. I cooked in Ukraine and I cooked here.”
Mashyna said she is grateful to Bourassa and her husband for all the help they have given them.
“They help us if we need something. “They help us all the time,” she said.