Meet Oksana
“My food is my language, and I want to share my tradition with you.”
“Food, for me, is this magical language – this history, this culture,” Oksana says.
In fact, she believes her family can taste the way she feels in the final dish she puts on the table. “If I’m happy, I put a little bit more, the food is nice and colourful. Sometimes I’m sad and my family tastes my food and say, ‘maybe you’re not happy today’.”
In Ukraine, Oksana was a garment technology engineer, but she was always fascinated by food and cooking, a passion that was passed down from those who came before her. “My mother taught me all the culinary arts,” she says. “When I was little, I watched her cook, often alongside my grandmother, who prepared meals for big events, and I have many recipes from them.”
When the war broke out in Ukraine, Oksana and her daughter came to Australia seeking safety, reuniting with her son who had completed his studies here and stayed on. “I love Australia, it is such a beautiful country,” Oksana says. “I like the flowers, I like the trees, I love the coffee shops. The people are so friendly and open. I take lots of photos and send them to my husband. I want him to come here.”
For now, Oksana’s husband and her other son are unable to leave Ukraine. “It is very hard for me,” she says. And while bridging the gap through social media and messaging apps is not the same, it’s the only option they have. “It is normal for us now,” she says.
When Oksana arrived in Australia, she studied English in Carlton for four months, which is where she was introduced to our Program Manager Kathy, who suggested she come to work in the Free to Feed kitchen. “I have been working here for two years,” Oksana says. “The industrial kitchen is a big place, and has a very beautiful atmosphere. The first time I came in, it felt so big and I did not know the system, but every time, the chefs taught me, and now I’m professional. I cut, I chop, and I like it. This is my hope, my beautiful job.”
Oksana appreciates the multiculturalism in Australia, and especially in the Free to Feed kitchen where she is always learning new food languages – trying new flavours and spices, meeting new people, hearing new stories.
“Before I came to Australia, I had not tasted zaatar or baharat,” she says. “These are new spices to me, and so interesting. I love to close my eyes and smell the new scents. I love to show my family, this is African food, this is Sri Lankan food, this is Afghani food. For me, this kitchen is magic.”
Through her cooking classes, Oksana wants to share the rich culinary history of Ukraine, with her own twist. “My country has a long history,” Oksana says. “I like to mix traditional Ukrainian dishes with modern dishes.” Her staples include borsch (beetroot soup that’s “a very nice mix of sour and sweet”), Varenyky (savoury dumplings), cabbage rolls and plenty of dishes centred around Ukraine’s marquee vegetables: pumpkin and beetroot.
Last year, Oksana hosted a huge Ukrainian feast for 180 people across two nights, and more recently she hosted a heartfelt long lunch with Free to Feed. The experience was beautiful and bittersweet. “Before I did the two feasts, I was strong,” Oksana says. “But the lunch was extremely emotional. Food is my life. To see people eating my food, it made me so happy. It felt like sharing my home.”
Oksana hopes her cooking class guests come away with more than just recipes. She hopes they gain a deeper understanding of Ukraine’s rich and lasting culture. “My food is my language, and I want to share my tradition with you,” she says.
She recalls a quote that resonates with her: ‘What is happiness? Happiness is a moment.’
“I know I have this moment here and now,” she says. “I realised that the world is so diverse that you just have to love it. I love life very much and I appreciate every minute.”
And, like her family, she hopes you can taste all of the wonder, care and joy that radiates from her table.
This beautiful piece was written by our friend Taryn Stenvei from GOOD & PROPER.
Photo by the wonderful Suzee, one of our current Content Marketing Interns - more of her work here!