Tetiana Denford: Veselka

As published by Tetiana Denford on 14 January 2024 & my commentary

Before reading…

I hope “Veselka” gets released in Italy or picked up by a streaming service when it’s released because I’ll be the first to see it. My parents still have our family restaurant in Toronto: that’s where I grew up, literally, and the place where I learned the priceless values I still stand by today: commitment, mission, respect, and support.

It’s also the place where I learned about communication, team spirit, people skills, and a series of practical skills, like time management. Working long hours in cramped spaces where tensions can easily flare remind me of the attempts made at keeping a balance of power on the European continent in the 19th century.

Restaurants are also places where community leaders, business people, and politicians congregate: contracts are signed over a bottle of wine and excellent home-cooked meals, and politicians can keep a eye on what constituents are really thinking. Sometimes negotiations are successfully achieved at a quiet table in the corner.

There are also short-term tactics and long-term strategy to think about. In the short-term restaurant people are always problem-solving as the day evolves. Anything can happen: running out of bread at 8 p.m. while there are still 100 people to serve, or the ice machine breaks in the middle of a hot August day. In the long-term, they’re constantly thinking ahead and how to adapt to changing situations and contexts.

Veselka is a special place in New York City, and Tetiana Denford tells us why.

Tetiana Denford: Veselka

In my life I never ever thought I would utter these words, but David Duchovny is narrating a movie about a restaurant from my childhood- a Ukrainian restaurant that my grandfather worked across from, as the manager of the meat market/deli ‘J. Baczynsky’ on the LES of Manhattan.

My parents used to frequent the bar down the block, ‘Lys Mykyta’, and my mother was a soprano in the choir ‘Dumka’ that rehearsed at the Ukrainian National Home. I have had countless coffees and varenyky there, I’ve loitered outside to people-watch, ‘Веселкаʼ is one of the first words for a Ukrainian child.

Veselka means “rainbow”, but tellingly, the word “veselo” is in there. And that means “happy”.

‘Veselka’ will be released in theaters on February 23, the eve of the second anniversary of Rxssia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine. “For 70 years, New York City’s beloved Ukrainian restaurant Veselka is best known for its borscht and varenyky, but it has become a beacon of hope for Ukraine,” notes a description of the documentary. “Veselka is a love story about a family and community brought together by food and culture. In assembling my creative team, it was so important to involve people that love and have experienced both Veselka and the culture of New York City’s Little Ukraine.

David Duchovny grew up two blocks north of Veselka and witnessed the evolution of both the storefront and neighborhood over the decades. David Sanborn has been a near life-long New Yorker, whose sound is synonymous with the Big Apple. Through their singular creative voices, both of the Davids draw upon their experiences and love for New York City in Veselka.”

Magical things are happening this year. More than ever before, I am so proud to be Ukrainian, to speak my mother tongue, and to be a daughter of immigrants.