'I must remain strong': Toronto chef honours Ukrainian heritage through food while fundraising for war relief

Nestled in the basement of St. Volodymyr's Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral near Toronto’s Kensington Market, Tetyana Matkivska prepares orders of Ukrainian fare to be delivered within the community.

It hasn’t been an easy couple of weeks for Matkivska, owner of Heavenly Perogy — much of her immediate family lives in Ukraine and have been made to endure the recent Russian invasion and subsequent violence.

On Wednesday, Matkivska told CTV News Toronto that being away from her family has been “very difficult and very hard,” but that she “must remain strong.”

“They have to be strong and brave, because if they're not, they'll end up where they were a century ago and they do not want to be there,” she said.

She recalls growing up in Ukraine overhearing her parents whispering to avoid being caught expressing political beliefs.

Now, she says, Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom once again.

“Ukrainians are fighting now for their homeland and freedom,“ she said. “The whole world stands with us because we are fighting for the most cherished values in this world: sovereignty and democracy.”

Matkivska says her family, many of whom were not able to leave Ukraine before the onset of the war, are located near Kyiv and that many of them have volunteered in local defence groups. 

Heavenly Perogy (CTV News Toronto)

Only a few days ago, one of Matkivska’s grandmothers passed away in Ukraine. She says her family was not able to mourn as they intended due to ongoing battles.

It was Matkivska's grandparents who originally taught her traditional Ukrainian cooking.

“My grandparents taught me a lot about cooking — they had a big, deep impact in my life,” she said.

“I really love Ukrainian traditions and our culture.”

When Matkivska arrived in Canada 16 years ago, St. Volodymyr's Ukrainian women’s organization welcomed her. Here, she started volunteering to make Ukrainian food once a month to help raise funds for the church. The project eventually fizzled out, but three years ago, with the church’s support, Matkivska decided to once again use her skills and open her own business.

“I started part time at the beginning — we only sold once a week — and then I extended two days a week, three days a week after a few months,” she said.

“Only last year, in September and October, did I start to work full time selling lunches and dinners.”

Heavenly Perogy (CTV News Toronto)

Heavenly Perogy’s menu is full of traditional Ukrainian eats. Customers can order perogies, pork or chicken schnitzel, sauerkraut, cabbage rolls and borscht — all handmade by Matkivska and her small team.

The project isn’t just about serving homemade traditional food though. Matkivska opened her business as an homage to Ukrainian culture and she hopes to pass those values onto her children.

“Culture is what makes the soul rise,” she said. “My children don’t have grandparents around, so I do my best to emulate our culture for them.”

Heavenly Perogy (CTV News Toronto)

Currently, Matkivska is asking her customers to make donations to the Red Cross or the Ukrainian Defence Fund through Heavenly Perogy’s website.

“We are really motivated because this is something we can do for our people and my family in Ukraine — my four sisters, my mom, my husband's parents, my cousins, friends.”

“We stand beside them, we worry about them and we try to help as we can.” 

Get in touch

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