An app for that: kitchen gatherings to create Ukrainian Christmas miracles

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Food may be a universal language, but when a handful of local cooks ran into problems, a little mobile support (and some patience) helped solve them.

Shortly after arriving from Ukraine in October, Oleh Durkach began working in the kitchen of the Norwood chapter of the Royal Canadian Legion in central Edmonton. Russia he invaded Eastern Europe in February.

A native chef, Dürkach’s background boasts 23 years of restaurant experience and fluency in Ukrainian and European cuisine.

“He’s a great chef, but every time I was asked to come in for an interview, I found out he didn’t speak English. It was kind of short,” she said.

So when he learned that the kitchen at Norwood Legion Hall was recruiting, Mucha pulled a few strings and got in line, interviewed him, and found an appetite for Dürkach’s knowledge and skills.

With Julian Christmas approaching on Saturday, Dürkach is tasked with preparing some traditional Ukrainian dishes for the holiday dinner at Legion Hall.

But how do multilingual cooks work in kitchens where orders, commands, and food furiously fly in and out of doors?

Well, there is an app for that.

“We use Google Translate all the time,” said line cook colleague Richard Crouse, readying his phone.

Everyone in the kitchen, even the server at the front of the house, locks and loads the app to communicate with the latest team member so he doesn’t get left behind. The app works by translating spoken and written words between users in real time.

Far from hindering the restaurant’s tempo, everyone behind the house said the tech intermediary held the team together. According to Crouse, they can even tell jokes that are still translated.

But that’s not to say the skill and experience of everyone involved didn’t play a big role, Mucha said on behalf of Durkach.

“He says, ‘If you know this profession, you can handle it with gestures,’ which is too bad for other potential employers he had,” Mucha said. “It’s a little different now because he’s been told what to do.”

“And he loves it,” Kroos said with a laugh.

Picking up his colleague’s crack, Durkach couldn’t help but alternate between smiling and laughing.

“My friend, Richard,” he said in English, typing another sentence into the translation app. “I already understand them bit by bit.”

He is also fluent in English and is assisted by his wife, Nadia, who has traveled with her husband with their three children.

While her husband works on holidays (as he did in Ukraine), this first Christmas in Canada marks the first time in a decade the family has had the opportunity to celebrate together at home with a traditional 12-course meal. will have she said.

After arriving in Edmonton, she said she never expected so much support from a stranger.

“Everyone met us with love,” she said with tears in her eyes.