February 26 open house at Lansing Office and Kitchen Works will feature Ukrainian cuisine, culture

Lesya Ryzhenkova...
Lesya Ryzhenkova...

Lesya Ryzhenkova and her family earned a reputation for their Ukrainian cuisine last year in a free-will donation fundraiser for the Ukraine war effort in March of 2022, shortly after the beginning of the Russian conflict with the family’s native country. Offering specialties such as Varenyky and Chicken Kyiv, residents of the Driftless region enjoyed the offerings and wondered when they might be able to enjoy them again.

From that demand evolved Ryzhenkova’s new venture to provide weekly carryout meals through her “Facebook Restaurant” called Ukrainian Village. With the new meal service launching Sunday, March 12, Ryzhenkova and her family will hold a Ukrainian Day and Open House at Lansing Office Works and Kitchen Works Sunday, February 26 where visitors can sample a variety of these specialties and note their favorites to prepare for their orders in March.

“It has been my dream to help Americans discover all the flavors and dishes well known to Ukrainians worldwide,” says Ryzhenkova. “Lansing Kitchen Works provides us the opportunity to test out our menu and offerings once a week, to see if growing to our own restaurant makes sense in the future.”

Lansing Kitchen Works, part of Lansing Office Works at 274 Main Street in Lansing, was established in 2022 as a commercial enterprise kitchen available to entrepreneurs interested in trying their hand at new packaged and carryout food items.

“Lesya’s venture is exactly why we are here, to allow creative chefs to experiment in a lower cost environment before making moves to invest in a full-blown commercial kitchen,” says Maryann Baldwin, owner of Lansing Office and Kitchen Works. “We are here to launch entrepreneurs to the next level and we can’t wait to see where this takes Ukrainian Village!”

The open house runs from noon to 3 p.m. February 26 and all are welcome. In addition to the food samples, visitors will enjoy cultural information about Ukraine, as well as dancing and songs performed by Lesya and her sisters and mother. Free will donations are encouraged, but not required. Proceeds will be used to assist the Ukrainian war effort against Russia.