“We’re hoping to help shift people’s perception on some of these traditional plates - borscht, for example, is so much more than just boiled soup,” Clark says. Opening weekend is the only exception to the team’s regionally rotating menu, as they’ll be kicking things off with revised Ukrainian favorites - items like borscht and vareniki. “They span everything from those found in Polish food to those in Middle Eastern cuisine - places like Georgia or Turkey.” “I don’t think many people realize that each region of Ukraine has a very diverse history and that the flavors across the country are so varied,” notes Clark. The menu will feature five dishes and will change each week to highlight different regions. We’re hoping these dinners will be a journey through Ukrainian culture, showing how the country has changed over time.” “At Anelya, we want to promote Ukrainian culture and further financial assistance to those who are in need. “My country is suffering now, and I want to help,” Yakush says. He’s also enlisting the help of Marina Yakush, a Ukrainian refugee who has recently relocated to Chicago after years of working in Ukraine’s food industry (most recently as head of the Ukrainian Creative Chefs Summit). “We thought it would be meaningful to hold Anelya in a smaller space like this - an atmosphere that can hopefully spark conversation around Ukraine while feeling like you’re at someone’s home,” says Clark.Ī post shared by Anelya through Clark’s grandmother that he learned about dishes like Ukrainian head cheese and borscht, which serve as inspiration for the menu he’ll be putting forth at Anelya. Diners have the option to linger longer for post-dinner drinks or tea while enjoying the space. Upon arrival, guests can enjoy a cocktail hour and zakuski (hors d’oeuvres) before sitting down for a dinner showcasing shared and individual plates. The team has created a homey space for Anelya featuring a 12-seat communal table. “I was always intrigued by her culture and asking more about it.” “In all of the stories she shared with me in what she had survived - childhood malaria, the Holodomor famine, a Polish cleanse in which she lost her father, World War II, and the labor camps, two bouts of cancer - I looked to her as a superhero when I was a kid,” says Clark. Anelya Ochatchinskiya arrived in America in 1946 after being liberated from Germany, where she worked at a Nazi-controlled hospital during World War II. Anelya, a weekend pop-up that starts this week, pays tribute to Clark’s grandmother. After contacting Shreiber, Clark hatched an idea for a semi-permanent showcase for Ukrainian culture inside Wherewithall’s detached private dining space. In researching ways to get involved abroad, Clark came across BlueCheck Ukraine, an initiative started by Ray Donovan actor Liev Schreiber that identifies, vets, and fast-tracks urgent financial support to NGOs providing critical assistance to those impacted by the war. “Two weeks wasn’t enough time within a standard restaurant model to raise the amount of funds we were hoping to - I wanted to do something that would center on the cause itself,” he says. Wherewithall also offered two weeks of Ukrainian-inspired menus to raise proceeds for a nonprofit - but once that came to a close, Clark realized he wanted to do more. In March, Clark - a Ukrainian American - participated in a fundraiser and joined more than 80 Chicago chefs. When the war in Ukraine began in February, Parachute and Wherewithall chef Johnny Clark wanted to do something to help.
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