Yurii Kovryzhenko is a Ukrainian man who always dreamed about opening his own restaurant. This summer, Yurii launches his “Mryia” (meaning “dream”), which will serve its clients traditional and contemporary Ukrainian food among others while employing refugees who fled the ongoing invasion of Russia. 

Back in February 2022, Yurii Kovryzhenko travelled to London with his partner Olga Tsybytovska for a short trip in order to cook at the Ukrainian Embassy and “raise the profile of Ukrainian cuisine”, as Secret London reports.  

https://twitter.com/MriyaNeoBistro/status/1540415722471538688?s=20&t=mTkEXpiSnbOkr7N8OR6epA

The brief stay eventually turned into a permanent stay following Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of February, causing an unprecedented wave of people searching for refugees in Central and Western Europe.

Yurii and Olga – who had stayed in London – began to raise relief funds for their homeland via a series of charity dinners. With the launching of their new “Myria” restaurant, the couple is taking the connection between the English capital and Ukraine to a whole new level. 

Yurii describes his restaurant as a “neo-bistro”, which is to blend together contemporary as well as traditional Ukrainian cuisine, including trademark borsch and chicken Kyiv among many other dishes. He will employ mostly refugees from Ukraine as cooks, waiters, and so on. 

Although no exact date has been communicated, “Myria” is expected to open its doors in Chelsea by late July. 

Image: Instagram (yurii_kovryzhenko)

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen