Whether making Ukrainian pastries to raise funds, adding traditional Ukrainian meals to their menu or hiring Ukrainian chefs, these two restaurants in Luxembourg have been proactive in launching initiatives in support of Ukrainian cuisine in Luxembourg.
Chiche!
The month of April will be particularly busy for the restaurant chain, run by Marianne Donven and popular for its Syrian and Lebanese cuisine and also known for employing people from diverse social backgrounds with great cooking skills.
On Tuesday 19 April, the address in Limpertsberg will start selling traditional Ukrainian meals, desserts and drinks. Clients can purchase the menu to take away or eat at the restaurant. €1 per dish sold will go to the LUkraine charity.
“Since 2017 Chiche has been hiring refugees and migrants to empower them, to boost their integration and to show their skills to the Luxembourg residents. Chiche is all about inclusion and social cohesion, therefore it was normal that we immediately considered integrating Ukrainian refugees into our team,” says Donven.
Donven adds that the restaurant already hired two Ukrainians on a part-time basis to make the meals in the morning and run the Ukrainian takeout at lunchtime. Depending on the demand, the restaurant foresees dinner takeouts in the future, and consequently increasing the working hours of the new employees.
Desserts will be made by two women, who owned a fancy cake shop in Ukraine. Donven clarifies that pending their work permit, purchases from them will be made on a small scale basis (four cakes per week) and further collaboration could be discussed at a later stage. The current Ukrainian menu includes:
Main dish
Borscht - Cabbage and beetroot soup with soft bread
Chicken Kyiv - crispy chicken filets filled with dill, potato puree
Vareniki with chicken/beef filling and sour cream
Vegan Vareniki with lentil filling, olive oil and herbs
Vegan Vareniki with potato filling and fried onions
Desserts
Napoleon Cake
Honey Cake
Drink
Uzvar, lemonade made with dry fruit
Tryouts for other meals are ongoing with potential new ideas to be included in the Chiche menu “if our customers respond positively,” explains Donven. Ideas for a future menu could include golubtsi (cabbage rolls stuffed with meat and rice), kompot (non-alcoholic beverage that may be served hot or cold, and made with several fruits such as strawberries, apricots, peaches, apples and more), nalistniki (pancakes with cottage cheese and raisins) and more.
On the same day that it intends to start selling Ukrainian meals, the restaurant will also open the much-anticipated Chiche restaurant located at 1a Rue de cessange in Leudelange--its third location in addition to its Limpertsberg and Esch-sur-Alzette venues. The Leudelange space was recently decorated in vintage style with a blend of décor provided by customers.
Until further notice, the Ukrainian meals will only be served at the Chiche Limpertsberg venue.
Ryodo
The fine dining Japanese restaurant Ryodo orgainsed a “solidarity with Ukraine” dinner on 3 April, where it raised €3,500. During the dinner, guests were treated to Japanese fusion cuisine merged with Ukrainian pastries and sakes from Sense of Japan.
On an exceptional basis, two Ukrainian pastry chefs and owners of a pastry café in Kyiv joined in to make pastries after having left their homes and businesses because of the war. The proceeds from the event are going to LUkraine.
Ryodo Kajiwara tells Delano that as the 2022 Gault & Millau Luxembourg chef of the year, he wanted to do something to support Ukrainian chefs now in the grand duchy. And with the right support from Gault & Millau--which sent a representative to take part during the day--and the Japanese Embassy in Luxembourg, the event became a reality.
This article has been edited following additional details provided by Chiche!