Anna Voloshyna Author Talk • Ukraïne: Recipes and Stories from Kyiv to the Black Sea

This event is part of Litquake, San Francisco's Literary Festival, taking place October 8–24 throughout the Bay Area. For the full Litquake schedule, visit litquake.org

Anna Voloshyna is a Ukrainian-born chef and the author of BUDMO! and UKRAÏNE. Raised in Ukraine and now based in the East Bay, she began her career as a food photographer and stylist before moving into hosting Eastern European pop-up dinners and writing cookbooks. Her work focuses on sharing Ukrainian and Eastern European cuisines through narrative-driven recipes, immersive culinary experiences, and storytelling—using food to preserve culture and foster connection. 

Ukraïne: Recipes and Stories from Kyiv to the Black Sea - Experience the joy and resilience of Ukrainian cuisine in this visually rich, travelogue-style cookbook filled with 100 traditional and modern recipes that highlight the comforting dishes, distinctive flavors, and time-honored techniques that make this food so extraordinary.

Ukrainian chef Anna Voloshyna traveled across the diverse regions of her homeland―from the mountains to coastline, cities to grasslands, forests to wine country―collecting recipes, stories, and friendships to answer the question: What is Ukrainian cuisine? In these pages, she takes you along on this appetizing and fascinating journey.

Vivid and poignant storytelling transports you to the boisterous streets of Kyiv where food carts sell aromatic sausages; to cool root cellars, a fixture in Ukrainian households, their walls stocked with jars of preserved and fermented deliciousness; and to the front line of the war where Voloshyna cooked a meal for fifty soldiers fighting for their country. Stunning photos bring you to the fields of sunflowers that blanket the steppe every summer; the shimmering waters of the Black Sea, brimming with marine life; and the imposing Carpathian peaks where flocks of sheep wander, their milk used to make beloved bryndza cheese. A treasure trove of recipes, drawn from all these places, bring a taste of Ukraine to your table, including: 

• Beet and Plum Lemonade 
• Cold Soup with Fresh and Fermented Tomatoes
• Grilled Sardines with Dilly Potatoes
• Mom’s Chicken and Potato Roast
• Lamb Plov with Apples and Chickpeas
• No-Churn Sunflower Seed Butter Ice Cream
• Plus, Sour Cucumbers, Beet Kvas, Mushroom Salt, Smoked Honey, and more pantry staples that will enhance your everyday cooking 

At a critical juncture in the nation's history, this cookbook seeks to preserve Ukraine's rich culinary heritage. By documenting recipes along with countless stories and images in a lustrous package, Ukraïne captures the very essence of the place while offering an acknowledgment of the country’s enduring spirit and a way to keep its culinary identity alive, preserving its past and ensuring its future.