How New York's Most Popular Ukrainian Diner Feeds Hundreds of People per Day - The Experts
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- Опубліковано 11 лип 2023
- Veselka has been a staple of NYC’s East Village since the 1950s and is now run by third-generation owner Jason Birchard. The restaurant specializes in what they call “Ukrainian soul food,” which includes pierogies, borscht, potato pancakes, and more.
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Credits:
Producer: Connor Reid
Directors: Connor Reid, Murilo Ferreira
Camera: Murilo Ferreira, Nick Mazzocchi
Editor: Charlotte Carpenter
Executive Producer: Stephen Pelletteri
Supervising Producer: Stefania Orrù
Audience Development: Terri Ciccone, Frances Dumlao, Avery Dalal
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I grew up making perogies with my Mom and Baba: my small hands were stellar pinchers. Decades later when my Mom was sinking further from us in Alzheimers, we did a family afternoon of perogie making. It was heartbreaking watching her trying to figure out the stuffing/pinching steps after so many decades of knowing. But, and it's a big one, I got her on dough duty for the second batch by asking her if the mix 'felt' right: *ding* muscle memory kicked in and she was mixing, rolling, cutting just as competently as she ever did. A most treasured day and memory. Next time I make it to New York, I'm coming for you Veselka!
Amazing.
Watching my Grandma making 200 of these in a space of 20 minutes was hypnotic.Last time I did 45 it took me a hour
Took me 4 hours to make 10 dozen 😅😅😅😅😅😅
Wow so impressive!
My family gathers every Christmas to make pierogi. We can crank out about 50 dozen in an afternoon. We all take some home but the first meal with them is always our meatless Christmas Eve dinner.
Haha, that's quite ambitious. That's "Babushka 1000" kinda stuff... 🇺🇦🥟😂👍🏼
I would probably take an hour for 1! 45 is still awesome
I've been going to Veselka since I was in my 20s. I am now in my 50s. Every time I swing through NYC I try to stop in for a meal. Many good memories here.
I miss my grandma so much. She made the absolute best pierogis and cabbage rolls. Always made with love.
Cabbage rolls are the best. They call them pidgens here in PA. Coal region small tows of every ethnicity
A classic here. Been a few times, their pierogies are legendary
I'm so happy Veselka is still around. I used to go there in the early 90's. I definitely need to swing back over there soon.
It's so fun how each culture has their own version of these. Ravioli, Pierogi, dumplings, Bao, etc.
This is reminding me of our holiday dinners. Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving. Always dozens of pierogi at a Polish holiday dinner haha
Koldūnai in Lithuania
Interesting, everyone have their versions. I have them all. They are all delicious..
@@ElePranaityte also Kołduny in Polish, just the northeastern region;) Hello neighbours:)
Manti, Mantu, Buuz, Jiaozi, Khinkali...whatever you may call it, it's a common cuisine in regions where Tatar-Turkic-Mongolic nomads used to roam. I find it most interesting that regardless of region and religion, it's often eaten on special occasions like new years, wedding, etc.
Been eating here for over 30 years and it always hits the spot
I’m a Filipino guy, but my favorite food is the wonderful potato and cheese pierogi!! 🇵🇭🇺🇸🇺🇦🇵🇱
So they are from Poland and for some reason we call them " ruskie" which means Russian pierogi. Name comes from plating originally they were served with cranberry and sourcream(and they were named Polish pierogi beocouse white and red is our flag ). But when Lviv was taken from Poland after ww2 and given to Soviet union cranberry was almost impossible to get so they only served them with sourcream. Thus new name pierogi ruskie
As God intended
is it like dumplings? asking as another filipino who is more familiar with chinese dumplings
@@xXxSkyViperxXx It's a dumpling. It's usually filled with potato and cheese, while it's boiled, pan fried, or deep fried. And then you dip in sour cream or apple sauce for extra goodness!
@@RudieObias oh so its kinda like a cheesy dessert dumpling
As a Ukrainian and longtime subscriber of your channel, ty for showing the world a small but very important part of our culture. For Ukrainians food are not only "time meals", it's a type of welcoming gesture when great guest and friend come to your house. And we're very thankfull for your support.
Ukrainian food are extremely deep cultural phenomenon. For example, each region of Ukraine have own "native" recipe of borsch: green, with or without beans, meat or vegan, etc. And even from house to house our mothers have their own recipes. For people in comments, Im also can recomend to discover some food from Bessarabiya (Odessa, Mykolaiv and Kherson Regions) - clams, fish, seafood, Crimean-Tatar like cheburecks, yantiks, soups or homemade wine, Zakarpatya banosh, knedli, black puding, etc. And many many more!
Bessarabia have no connection to Odessa, Mikolaiv and Kherson region. Only small parts of Bessarabia were included in Odessa region by the Soviets.
😂🤦🏻♂️
As a Ukrainian myself, I'm tearing up, watching this video! Пані Слава (pani Slava), she is a true master! Thanks Eater for sharing this!
Do you know what the gravy was that they put on the cabbage rolls? I have only ever had them with a tomato based sauce and I cant find any recipes that look similar to the sauce they used. Would love to try making them this traditional way, thanks!
Fake account, Eater hearted this.
lold. Good quality assurance. NOT.
Also Polish. So you know it's a bot.
"She is a true master" Fake.
Shouldn't you be busy fighting the Russians or did your family run away from the fight?
@@Prof.Pwnalot well, I'm not a bot for sure. That's my actual account. So keep your hateful assumptions by yourself please.
@@maigepresents5840 be sure that I'm doing everything within my power for us and our country to defeat that russian plague and make my country free and prosper. You have absolutely no clue how this war is happening. Absolutely everyone is involved in it and united, but not everyone is in the battlefield.
This channel has consistently put out incredible videos. Thank you for showing not just high end restaurants, and giving the limelight to everyone.
Next time I visit New York, I’ll be stopping here.
Thanks for watching!
If she made an average of 350 pancakes a day for 200 days a year for 15 years, that’s 1,050,000 pancakes 🤯
I don't get it though, she says she cooks six pans a day, then says 300-400 a day. The pans have 6 in them...
@@johnr797she meant that she is using six pans while cooking, you can see that on video, it's just a mistake in subtitles
@@omnvnts is it? Because why would she be specific and say 6 pans?
@@johnr797 and she said specific 6 pans because she is using 6 pans on the stove at the same time while cooking, that what I meant
@@omnvnts alright so she cooks 10 batches
My wife was from Belerus and her stuffed cabbage rolls were excellent. I wish she was still alive to make them for me now.
This warms my heart, my family makes veranikas, but with slightly different filling. And we pan sear with onions as the last step. Love the traditions! Keep it up.
Some good New York accents in this video! The food looks amazing. I hope the staff at the restaurant are well looked after, seeing as they work so hard.
The restaurant owners must be doing a lot of things right for the last three generations of owners
Just outstanding. How do you watch this without tearing up?
We really need to get the word out about people who stand up and do the right thing.
Thank you #Eater for sharing this story.
💛💙
Wonderful place, wonderful food. Miss it now that I'm not in New York anymore.
Respect to the pancake lady that was awesome!
The honey cake, the potatoe panckakes and the soup - 10/10
As an American of Irish ancestry - I always laugh at the idea that the Irish are THE potato culture. The potato is just way to wonderful and important to be limited to one culture.
Potatoes don’t even come from Europe. Peru is the the true king of the potato. They have varieties that most of the world won’t even get to see
I am Irish-American and part Lithuanian (eastern European). Yes, potatoes are such a big part of so many cultures....Irish, Polish, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Russian, Spanish, etc...
I agree with all the praise for the food and its authentic preparation (and it's good; I've eaten here several times), but was depressed that someone who was trained to be a doctor now has to work in a kitchen rather than what she should be doing, namely healing others. Let's hope these two women get a chance to do so soon. (And many thanks to the owner for bringing them over.)
Well cooking might be her passion.
@@eulalawrence9018 Indeed it might, but I detected a bit of sadness in her that was lacking in the other cooks.
She could be a doctor. In Ukraine 😅
They can't go to medical field in USA... it is prohibited... unless they started medical education again in USA...
He didn't say they were doctors. He said they worked in the medical field. Ukraine is at war. This is how immigrants start out. My family was the same. For several years they worked blue collar jobs instead of as professionals that they worked back home.
2:38 "The women don't break down [unlike machines]." Lol great comment about business... 💯
Big thanks what you do. Greetings from Kyiv. Thank you!
We will always support this channel. They’re the best at what you do.
I love Veselka . I once spent 18 hours in their back room café. Slava Ukraini
This restaurant is so well timed, that it hums. I would love to spend any amount of time there...sometimes, and very rarely, that the restaurants atmosphere enhances the cuisine. Bravo
Had brunch there, their take on eggs Benedict is amazing. Instead of biscuit they use potato pancake. It melts! So good!
Thank You for being a sponsor. You’re a Saint. Continued success.
Went here back in October of 22 and it was fantastic
Been eating here for well over a decade. These guys are the real deal. So happy to see them featured here!
Greetings from Kazakhstan🇰🇿 Happy to see Ukranian cuisine being loved worldwide💛💙 Slava Ukraine!
😂🤦🏻♂️
fantastic episode! Love it...
excellent audio and music on this one, food looks amazing.
FREAKING LOVE THIS PLACE!
Remember that this was always a pleasure to taste and eat home cooking like my mother used to make
i hope one day i can try the cake ! I've been seeing a lot of recipes around but i have never tried to make it, i just want to eat it !
All of that looks amazing
OMG, that stuffed cabbage looks so good!! Perogi looks like a Chinese dumpling, and the potato pancake looks to be delicious!!
This was a blast from my past. I lived half a block away in the 1980’s and ate here frequently.
It's so wonderful to hear pany Olesia speaking ukrainian! What a great comforting video)
Im Ukrainian and have taken most of my family to try Veselka. Its honestly just alright. The food is good but my mom's and grandma's recipes will always be better. That said, I really like how the owner described it as "Ukrainian soul food". I think thats a very good way to explain the dishes they are serving as they are staple dishes for us Ukrainians.
everyone in every culture who makes outstanding food ALWAYS cooks 'from the heart'. I think that goes without saying
I really need to remember to eat before I watch these!
Fascinating
Amazing place!
love this place !!!!
Fantastic to see so many friendly, hardworking people do great things with food and spread a lot of happiness. Slava Ukraine!
I'm glad he feels that way about his employees. A machine would be more efficient for sure. It breaks down way less than it needs days off or gets sick or whatever.
My hometown used to be a mix of polish, Turkish, ukrainian, Italian. Man the food served during houby fest was something else. Delicious food overall. Literally grandmas cooking.
What was your home town?
I need to visit this town...
@@martinr7728 it’s nothing like that anymore. Everyone moved away but it was a simpler time.
Food is good, who would have thought?
Wow that was fantastic!!! Eater, keep rockin my world :D
Always loved this place. I took my Jamaican dad here and he cleaned his plate bone dry.
Amazing.
The fact that she's made, give or take, 2 million potato pancakes is insane 😮
I had my first perogies way back when when I met my wife back in the 80's. They are little bites of heavenly bliss. I am willing to bet these from this diner are off the charts great. Shalom
They just taste like dough lol
Awesome owner going that far to help his employees
I love Veselka!
Most interesting 😊
I lived in the neighborhood in the early 1980's. Had lots of meals in Veselka (and Kiev, and The Ukranian East Village)
I ate here last year. The best introduction I could have hoped to have to Ukrainian cuisine. I wish I could go back!
I enjoy these a lot! Especially when there is no host to take the spotlight for no reason
I am part eastern European(Lithuanian), and these are the foods I grew up on. Beautiful Ukrainian comfort food. Good memories.
Loved going there in the 90's! Glad they are still thriving.
Give me that Medovyk cake right now, please!
Everything looks super delicious and they even do Medovyk now! Wow!
YEAHHHHH! "THE WOMEN DON'T BREAK DOWN"
HELL YEAH BROTHA
Pretty interesting to hear their accents. Probably mostly 2nd and third generation Ukrainians.
Great show.
This is mostly Slavic cuisine, not unique only to Ukraine. (: But everything seems so great and I love how much love they put into everything!
This Jason guy looks like an older version of tuning folk from the mighty car mods channel 😮
Been there... their beef stroganoff is amazing!
No doubt, but this is not exactly a Ukrainian dish, it's Russian, many of their dishes are not only Ukranian but Slavic: Belarus, Russian, Polish, Hungarian...
I go here every time I visit New York. The food is fantastic! So happy to see them get this recognition.
I am of Ukrainian descent on my dad’s side- and if I ever get to New York City I have to come to Veselka!
Pierogi is already a plural form of (one) pieróg. It is like adding a second S to dumplings and turning them into dumplingss.
Been here twice! Love it!
Cooking pancakes is delicious, it's cool.
Perogi is LIFE!
I’ve been to Veselka. In addition to the foods in the video, they used to make a very good veal goulash. Hard work!
Most I can do in a session is 50 or 75. Watching you all work is amazing. Nothing like homemade.
These vareneki look awesome. So does everything in this video.
Thanks for documentary.
I love this channel not only because of them showing great food and great restaurants but also because they show great people, different culture and most important they help drive home the message that in our world we might have 100 different countries, 1000 different cultures but the Love, the respect, the humanity remains constant.
Love these! I ordered them from Goldbelly a few times. The last time they came in a bag instead of a container. Most of them were broken. I was given credit but, would prefer them not broken 🤷♀️ I will probably try to order again.
This makes me cry for the determination of the owners fighting for authentic Ukraine foods. Corporations sniffing around no doubt .
Wonderful family tradition kept alive, human beings being valued in the kitchen rather than machines - yes!! God bless them and Ukraine.
OhMyGosh that cake!
The food from my childhood. My grandma did pirogi and vareniki with sour cherry. I miss her so much. Slava Ukraini!
In our country Veselka means "the wedding". :-D And Medovyk is Medovník.
That cake looks sooooo good!😊😊😊
Every once in a while, I make some borscht. I’m sure mine is not as good as any of the divine food they are making!
Thanks!
When the owner/s and managers get out of the way for the skill to show how it's done daily? That!!
Damn i love NY
She'd made more than a million of those!
I will jump on a cross country flight for those.
Bought their pierogies off of Goldbelly before. Phenomenal.
Wareniki
Love this
Ohhhhh i need to get to ny city...i need sandwiches pizza and to explore Ukrainian food. I've had perogies (frozen) but im more than ready to have more and FRESH
OMG that looks so good. I want to eat everything on the menu. Why is it so far away??
Is the secret ingredient diet from those pipes?
This video makes me miss my buba's cooking. Unfortunately, i never learned anything beyond varenyky, and im too lazy to make them.
5:00 If she really makes 3-400 a day, every day, for 15 years, then with 5 day work weeks she made at least 1 million minimum by now lol
Sounds like a pierogi pimp when he says “they don’t complain” 😂
They got a rhythm going on anyway.