C (1:56)

How many of us have had our.

D (1:58)

Night'S end pierogies at Veselka? For 70 years, the Ukrainian restaurant has been a beloved East Village institution on the corner of 2nd and 9th. It's been a symbol of the influence of Ukrainian immigrants in a neighborhood that used to be known as Little Ukraine. But in the past few years, what Veselka represents to its community has changed, ever since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. And there's a new documentary that follows the owners and workers of the restaurant as the conflict unfolds. The film is called Veselka the Rain on the Corner at the center of the world. And WNYC's David first was in the host chair, speaking to director Michael Fiore and Veselka owner Tom Burchard, along with his son Jason. We also took your calls during this conversation to hear your personal Vaselka stories. But a reminder for listeners right now, this is an encore broadcast, so we can't actually take your calls live right now. David started by asking Michael, as a director, what the impetus was for him to make this documentary.

C (3:01)

I went to neighboring NYU film school, and any student or alum knows that Viselka is there to be your second kitchen or your home away from home. And I started going there about 20 years ago, and I had known the kind of back of the menu story of the three generations. And I was introduced to Tom and Jason through a mutual colleague, and I started to promote the idea of the father son theme story. This was November of 2021, and the war wasn't even a glimmer in anybody's eye at that point. So, you know, the theme was a father and son story, multi generational. As well. As they were talking about doing a renovation of the restaurant, Tom had transitioned and retired. So it was gonna cover this kind of changing of the guard as well, which the movie, as it's completed, does cover that. But then the war happened, and in February, we hadn't started the movie yet, and I had reached out to Tom and Jason again said, you know, if we're going to tell your story, I think now's the time. I don't want to exploit your staff or what's going on with the war back home for these Ukrainians, but because your father in law and grandfather started the establishment in 1954 as a result of wanting to give displaced Ukrainians after World War II a, I felt the parallels were too strong to deny them. And we were all in agreement that now was the time to tell the story.

F (4:36)

I mean, obviously the story changed radically from where you started. And the documentary in large part tells the story about the role that Vaselka has played during the last two years. It is now almost exactly two years later, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Jason, what do you do? What is the best way to help? How do you use your business, whatever influence you have in the community.

E (5:08)

So in the beginning, I felt very connected, being my grandson of my grandfather, who unfortunately escaped Russian oppression and arrived here in the late 1940s. I, you know, I believe his spirit lives in me. And when this conflict started, I wanted to, you know, with the outpouring of love and customers were coming from near and far to not only enjoy our food, but wanted to, to donate and contribute. And, you know, I had partnered with a local nonprofit that I've been partnered with since for more than 10 years called Rasm for Ukraine. And they're a nonprofit that are helping on the humanitarian level. I decided that shortly after the conflict started that one of our signature dishes, borscht, I decided that all the sales of our borscht would go to humanitarian relief efforts. We call it borscht diplomacy, as they say. And shortly after that there was a fight between where borscht originated, whether it was in Ukraine or Russia. And it was designated as an UNESCO heritage dish of Ukraine. It was easier at that time, now that we're going into, unfortunately two years into this conflict, to keep the spotlight. I think it's very poignant that the movies come out now right before the two anniversary. It's a political hot potato in Washington. But it's still, you know, a small, you know, a story about how we all can come together and especially as a community to, to do our best to keep our fellow Ukrainians alive.

F (6:49)

Thank you for sharing a text. Right now, Vaselka has the best beet salad in New York City. I don't think there's any argument in the room here. Let's hear from Laurie calling from Manasquan, New Jersey. Good afternoon.

B (7:06)

Hi. Right after college I moved into the West Village and was always hanging out in the East Village and, and the place was famous, Selka. It had the best bread and the best lentil soup and I have ton of memories and as I soon as I heard your name pop up while I was listening, I immediately dialed in. The place holds a special memory for me. You could go there. Everybody in the community hung out, funky people, well known people. And I just wanted to say that it was a good, good part right after college of my life.

E (7:46)

Thank you for sharing. I mean, I, you know, I consider ourselves a small, humble restaurant in the corner, you know, in the East Village. You know, my father, in working there as a child, you know, obviously built this business and gave me the opportunity to continue the family legacy. And I really always, you know, think small minded that, you know, that we're just a small little corner restaurant in the East Village. But you know, due to a variety of different scenarios that have played out, tragedies nine, 11 and Superstorm Sandy that people have come and continue to support. And I think that's part of our Ukrainian heritage. We're very strong, resilient, perseverant people and I've learned a lot from my father. And we're just happy to celebrate our 70th anniversary this year. And it's people like you that have fond memories and keep coming.

F (8:40)

Tom, I want to get into the history of your business. Veselka, which means rainbow in Ukrainian, right, was founded by your in laws Volodymyr and Ola in 1954. And it wasn't this big restaurant that we see now.

G (8:56)

No, it was more. It was a typical Lower east side candy store.

F (9:02)

Can you tell us about that and about your in laws?

G (9:05)

Yeah, my in laws were immigrated from a displaced persons camp in Germany in 1950. And then my father in law bought this funky little newsstand on the corner of Second Avenue and Ninth street in 1954. But in their first years, early years, they were professional people from Ukraine. But when they came here, they had to do very menial work. My mother in law was an orderly in a hospital and my father in law swept the floor at the Ballantine Brewery in Newark. But they certainly had aspirations of bettering their life. And again, as I said, my father in law bought this funky Little Newsstand in 1954, and it became kind of a hub for Ukrainians. There was a large Ukrainian community that had immigrated with them in 1950 from Germany.

F (10:02)

And how did you get pulled into the family business?

G (10:05)

So I met their daughter at a fraternity party at Rutgers in 1966 and, you know, fell in love. We were young. She brought me to the East Village, which was a revelation to me. I grew up in a very homogenized suburb in New Jersey. Coming to the East Village and. And experiencing the vibrancy and the diversity and the energy was really infectious. I took to it right away. So my last two and a half years of college, I worked at Veselka on weekends. And my father in law tragically passed away in 1964. Yeah, 74. I took over and struggled with it, but eventually figured out what it would take to make the business succeed. And luckily we're still here.

F (10:57)

Luckily indeed. How about. Let's hear from Risa in Huntington. Good afternoon. Welcome to all of it.

B (11:03)

Hi, how are you?

F (11:05)

Great.

B (11:06)

So during the 80s, I lived on 7th street, which was. There's a beautiful Ukrainian church on 7th Street. My landlord. And it was definitely a railroad flat that I lived in. The landlord at the time, he too was Ukrainian, and he had a bunch of songbirds in the. In the basement. And it was a hub of European, Eastern European activity in the area. There were so many places like Veselka, which was so great for somebody like myself who was young, just starting to work. I worked at Seward Park High School, which is not Far from there. And so I was on a very limited budget. And as a result of the Selka, places like Stanley's, places like Christina, I could go on and on. There were so many of them. They really were. They allowed great cheap fare. Party, cheap Eastern European fair. And I'll. I'll always remember that. Now, the Selka had a. If I remember correctly, had a really cool mural painted on the outside. I believe the owner's wife was a veterinarian. I know I brought my.

G (12:17)

Yeah, that's my wife, Sally.

B (12:18)

Oh, that's so fun. Oh, yes. I just so remember that. And it was one of many calves that I had. But anyhow, that was just sort of unusual, you know, that she was almost as famous as the seltzer.

G (12:32)

Actually, I realized early on that there was no veterinarian in the entire East Village. And my wife at the time was working uptown. So we put our nickels and dimes together and managed to open a veterinary practice for her, which became very, very popular. She became the vet to the East Village. Now, I think there' or 15 veterinary offices, but she was the first.

F (12:56)

Reggie calling from Bed Stuy. Welcome to all of it.

B (13:00)

Hi. Hi. I'm a jazz musician and a rock musician. And after 2:00am After a gig, I guess for the last 40 years. I mean, my first time was when I played seabees in the 80s. Vaselka has the best food. You know, the buckwheat pancakes and that large chef salad at 2am in the morning. I mean, they have the best food. It's also filling and, you know, it's a hangout for musicians after the last set down there in the East Village.

F (13:39)

Jason, can you speak to that? You have a lot of experience with that overview.

E (13:44)

That was, you know, out of college. That was one of my initiatives or things that Tom and my father and I decided that. We know that there were a lot of people out late at night. We originally did it on weekends to great fanfare. And shortly after that, we did it seven days a week. Unfortunately, we did that right up until the pandemic, and we haven't gotten back to that. But actually, just coming on before air, I was conversing with my father and telling him that we're actively looking to open up again late night very soon before summer. So, Reggie, please come back. I mean, right now, we close at midnight, but we're here for you.

F (14:23)

Just some final thoughts. Michael, it's almost two years now since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. What do you hope this movie does for viewers?

C (14:33)

I tell people all the time when they ask, this isn't a war movie. This is an antidote to war story. And to come in to visit a 70 year story of love and compassion and how not only Tom and Jason have come together in good times and bad, but how the community has. And I think given the sentiment that is happening right now in our US Government about funding Ukraine and even kind of like the thinking on the street about should we or should we not be giving to Ukraine, the hope would be that while the movie's not political or a war movie, that it invites people to show a little extra compassion, to look to themselves as the source of change. There's a moment in the movie, I don't wanna give too much away, where Mayor Adams shows up and he's very torn between multiple messages for that luncheon. And it becomes a situation by the end where it becomes pretty clear that Jason and others shouldn't really look to their local leaders for every answer. That, you know, Jason can be the agent of change and I think we all can be the agent of change. And I hope that the movie, you know, plants that seed in everyone's head.

F (15:56)

And we just have a couple of moments left, but Tom or Jason, a final thought.

B (16:00)

Tom.

G (16:02)

Yeah, I can't help thinking over and over, when I first came to Veselka, you know, I learned the story of my in laws who had had an incredibly hard time after the second World War, fleeing their country, giving up everything they had established and loved and coming to the US and starting over again. And then watching our employees who've helped build this incredible business suffer with worried about their families back home. And it's just heartbreaking. And, you know, we're just doing everything we can to support them and try to make people aware of the human impact of this horrible war.

D (16:41)

That was all of it. Guest host David Fuerst speaking with Veselka owners Tom and Jason Burchard, as well as director Michael Fiore. They were talking about a new documentary on the beloved East Village Ukrainian restaurant. The film is called the Rainbow on the Corner at the center of the World.

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