Cossack menu and pineapple dumplings: what is served by the first Ukrainian restaurant in Philadelphia - ForumDaily
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Cossack menu and pineapple dumplings: what is served by the first Ukrainian restaurant in Philadelphia

Stuffed cabbage rolls, potato pancakes, jellied meat, lard - these are just a few dishes from the Cossack menu of the Ukrainian banquet hall and Philadelphia. Chef Taras Zhimelko has been feeding city residents both traditional Ukrainian and signature gourmet dishes with a Ukrainian flavor for 3 years. This is stated in the video "Voices of America".

One of the most popular dishes in his restaurant is pineapple dumplings. Taras began learning to cook in the dormitory of the Lviv Veterinary Academy.

Pineapple dumplings with mascarpone sauce are a specialty of the Royal Passage restaurant. This recipe, like many others, was created personally by Taras.

A man comes from Zhydachiv (Lviv region). He taught him how to cook in his student years.

“We lived in a hostel and at the end of the week there was nothing left to eat and, as they say, we made soup from an axe. Who had a piece of onion, who had a piece of carrot - I liked experimenting,” recalls Taras.

The reputation of the cook and the name he received while working in the UK.

“I started with a small Japanese restaurant, but when I left there, I was already an assistant chef - sous-chef,” says the Ukrainian.

Taras’s ambitions paid off, he was invited to the position of chef in a network of Swiss restaurants. However, he did not agree at once, because for a new position it was necessary to move from London to Russia.

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“It was a Swiss company, a 5-star hotel. At first I refused, knowing that I would have to go to Russia, but then I talked to my chef at the time, he advised not to be afraid to change something, and I agreed and moved,” says Taras.

It was in Russia that Zhimelko managed to save enough money to realize his cherished dream in the future - to open his own restaurant, but the war prevented him.

“A conflict began between Russia and Ukraine and I didn’t want to stay there,” recalls the Ukrainian.

Taras left St. Petersburg and applied for a visa for gifted people in the United States. A few months later he was already in the States and was looking for partners to open his first Ukrainian restaurant.

“Taras came with his sister and said that I was recommended to him,” says Oksana Nazaruk, co-owner of the restaurant.

This conversation grew into a real partnership within a few months. Oksana Nazaruk, her son Yuri and Taras Zhimelko opened the first Ukrainian banquet-type restaurant, Royal Passage, in Philadelphia.

“I came here with a specific goal - to open my own restaurant. Because the USA is truly a country of opportunity, it’s easy to start your own business here, there are no pitfalls,” recalls Taras.

“At first I thought that we wouldn’t work together, but everything worked out,” says Nazaruk.

The restaurant opened 3 years ago and has almost recouped the funds invested in equipment and repairs. About 80% of the restaurant's clients are Ukrainian immigrants.

“There are a lot of Ukrainians in Philadelphia - about 100, and they all celebrate birthdays, weddings, and many different holidays. Ukrainians love to walk and eat,” says Taras.

For Ukrainians there is a special menu - Cossack. It includes dumplings, borscht, potato pancakes, Ukrainian lard and other dishes.

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The restaurant clearly spells out the responsibilities of everyone. Workers say that despite their young age, their boss Taras is serious and demanding.

“I know that it is better not to go into the kitchen if he is preparing food, because he is a fan of cleanliness, a perfectionist. No cell phones while working, he wants everything ready on time for clients,” says singer Angeli Rose.

“Everything that comes to the table goes through his eyes, through his heart, through his hands,” says manager Albert Banoy.

Restaurant workers call their team family. Taras admits that today work is his whole life.

“I’m not married, sometimes I spend 12-14 hours a day in the kitchen of a restaurant,” says Taras.

In addition to work, he also tries to participate in the life of the Ukrainian diaspora, arranges free meals for volunteers and Ukrainian soldiers who come to Philadelphia for treatment.

“Sometimes we serve food for free and participate in fundraising for soldiers in need of surgery. We are Ukrainians and must help each other,” says Taras.

The decor of the restaurant is completely Ukrainian, and the singer Rose, who was taught by mother Whitney Houston, sang in Ukrainian for the first time in this restaurant.

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“My supervisors Yuri and Taras once asked if I would like to try to sing a Ukrainian song. It was very difficult to pronounce words in Ukrainian, but when I learned to pronounce them, then it became easy to sing,” says the singer.

“Royal Passage” for Taras is the first step in his American career; in 5 years he plans to open another Ukrainian establishment.

“I have a dream to open a restaurant serving Ukrainian cuisine, but not simple, but modern,” Taras shares.

In his new restaurant, he will cook dumplings of different colors and shapes, root vegetables and borscht of various consistencies.

“Being a good cook,” Taras is convinced, “is not being afraid to experiment.”

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