Inside Veselka - New York’s staple Ukrainian restaurant

Since 1954, Veselka - meaning rainbow - has been a New York staple. The restaurant was opened by a Ukrainian immigrant as a small coffee shop in East Village. For more than six decades now, the Veselka restaurant in Manhattan has provided New Yorkers with a taste of Ukraine. After the February 24th Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Veselka became a community hub for Ukrainians in New York. 

Jason Birchard, the owner of Veselka restaurant in New York

Photo: Radio Poland

A poster in front of Veselka reads “Eat Borscht, Stand With Ukraine.” With Ukraine needing aid following the Russian invasion, Veselka’s owner Jason Birchard - himself a son of a Ukrainian immigrant - decided to donate the funds he raises from borscht sales to Ukraine relief effort through the New York-based NGO "Razom for Ukraine". The restaurant also converted its warehouse into a donation center. 

Veselka restaurant in New York

“We gotta get the word out,” owner Jason Birchard told Radio Poland's Danuta Isler who visited the restaurant to find out more about how Jason Birchard is using the outpouring of emotions to encourage philanthropy in very specific way.

A banner in front of Veselka, Ukrainian restaurant in New York