LavShash Restaurant in Old Pasadena is hosting a special event to celebrate Ukrainian Independence Day on Saturday, August 24. The restaurant, owned by Kateryna Voskanian, a recent immigrant to the United States from Ukraine, is offering a menu of traditional dishes and live music at five seating times.
The celebration marks the 33rd anniversary of Ukraine’s declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.
Linnea Lourenço, a patron of LavShash who is helping with the event, stressed the importance of this meeting.
“This event is an opportunity for us to come together as a community and celebrate Ukraine’s independence.as a sovereign state” she said.
The Voskanian family opened LavShash in March 2024. Previously, they operated a similar restaurant in Kharkiv, Ukraine for 20 years until they were forced to leave their home and business due to the Russian invasion in 2022.
LavShash’s Independence Day menu features popular and delicious Ukrainian and Eastern European dishes.
Guests can enjoy delicious okroshka, a refreshing cold soup made from sour cream, potatoes, finely chopped cucumbers and radishes.
The famous beetroot soup borscht will also be available, as well as holubtsi (stuffed cabbage rolls) and goulash with mashed potatoes.
These dishes are intended to remind Ukrainians of their home cooking and to introduce many locals to new dishes from Eastern Europe.
To complement the meal, guests can enjoy Uzvar, a traditional Ukrainian drink made from boiled dried fruits and berries.
The event will feature live performances by Ukrainian musician Inka and acoustic guitarist Anton, playing Ukrainian national songs. Inka, a former vocal coach for Ukrainian television shows such as “X-Factor UA” and “The Voice UA,” is now a vocal coach in Los Angeles. She has performed at various fundraisers in the Los Angeles area to support the troops in Ukraine, and recently sang at an event on February 24 in Downtown Los Angeles that commemorated the second year of war since the invasion of Ukraine. Her goal is to share Ukrainian culture through her music.
“We hope that this celebration will not only raise awareness of LavShash, but also highlight the contributions of Ukrainian immigrants to our local community,” Lourenço said.
She pointed out that Los Angeles has a high proportion of Eastern Europeans living in the population, with only Sacramento being larger.
The event offers five seating times: 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
For those celebrating at home, LavShash is offering preorders of the Ukrainian Napoleon cake, a popular celebration dessert, for $45 for eight people. Preorders must be placed by August 21.
Lourenço emphasized the role of Ukrainian companies in supporting newly arrived Ukrainians.
“Many business owners, like Kateryna Voskanian of LavShash, support their Ukrainian compatriots by providing them with job opportunities. Many of them cannot enter the workforce until their English skills reach a sufficient level,” she explained.
Interested? Make a reservation or order yourself by calling the restaurant at (626) 469-0095 or emailing lavshash.la@gmail.com. LavShash is located at 115 E. Colorado Blvd. in Old Pasadena.
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