Perogies for Ukraine
Yarmouth resident Candice Phibbs using her grandmother’s perogy recipe for fundraiser to help the Ukrainian people
Candice Phibbs' maternal grandparents immigrated to Canada from Ukraine after the Second World War. They came here seeking a better life, yet never completely let go of the one they left behind.
Her grandparents – both deceased – would be heartbroken to see what has been happening in Ukraine.
But their hearts would burst with pride, no doubt, to see what their granddaughter is doing to help the people in their homeland.
The Yarmouth resident is tapping into a Ukrainian family tradition – one that brought her comfort throughout her own life courtesy of her grandparents, Katarzyna and Frank Proracki, who Phibbs affectionately calls her Baba and Gigi.
Phibbs is holding a ‘Perogy Fundraiser for Ukraine' on March 20, with all proceeds going to the Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal. More than two weeks before the fundraiser takes place at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Yarmouth, it had already sold out with 3,000 perogies and 1,500 chrusicki pre-ordered.
The presence of Phibbs' Baba and Gigi will be felt at the fundraiser. The perogy recipe belongs to her grandmother.
“My Baba's recipe is one I cherish. I promise these hand-made perogies will give you a taste of the old country that is unmatched,” Phibbs says.
When her grandparents came to Canada in 1949, they were sponsored by an extended family who had also immigrated to Canada. They worked for that family for a number of years.
“They both grew up in small, rural communities in Ukraine,” Phibbs says. “My Baba, during the Second World War, was forced to work on a German farm as part of the war. My Gigi served with the army and was a prisoner of war during the Second World War.”
In Canada, they spent most of their lives as farmers, working on various farms in southwestern Ontario. They also kept a garden for themselves and sold produce at markets and to restaurants.
Ukrainian traditions remained a part of their lives.
“I spent my whole childhood with my Baba and Gigi,” says Phibbs, whose birth month is June. Her mother was a teacher and returned to the classroom that September, so from the age of a few months old to five, Phibbs spent most of her days at her Baba and Gigi's house.
“I have early memories of being out in the garden with them and the food, so much food,” she says. “Once I started school, we would go over there to catch the school bus in the morning and get off the school bus there in the afternoon. They played a huge role in my childhood and my sister's childhood. They really shaped who I am today.”
Just as her grandparents would be, Phibbs is heartbroken by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She has extended family living in Ukraine who she's never met. Her dream is someday to visit Ukraine with her mother.
“When I learned about the conflict and the attack on Ukraine – and after the shock wore off that this is actually happening – people started messaging me on Facebook asking, ‘What can we can we do?'”
But Phibbs also wondered, “What can I do?”
Whatever it was, she knew it would involve food.
“Food is something that is such a huge part of the Ukrainian culture,” she says. It brings comfort.
“Whether it's a big celebration or a very tragic event, food is such a huge piece of the European culture overall. That's what you do. You bring food to someone if they're upset, if they're
grieving. Sharing those traditional foods with the community in order to support Ukraine was a no brainer for me.”
In addition to the perogies, the chrusicki she will be making translates to Angel Wings. It's an eggbased dough lightly fried into a pastry and served with a bit of powdered sugar. Very light. Very airy. Very easy to continue snacking on, she says.
“My Baba would make these huge batches of chrusicki. She had a closet at the end of the hall and she'd put them in the closet because we couldn't stop eating them as kids,” laughs Phibbs. “She'd say, ‘Company is coming over. Save some for the company.'”
Besides baking, her Baba had another talent.
No matter how quietly Phibbs and her sister would try to open that closet door, their Baba would always hear.
Of course, there's a big difference between making perogies and chrusicki for yourself and making them for hundreds of others.
Friends and members of the community have come forward offering Phibbs help. For that, she's grateful.
“It is a labour-intensive process,” she says about the perogies. “By the time you peel and mash the potatoes, incorporate the cheese into them, let it cool a little bit so you can handle the filling, make the dough, and roll it, cut it, assemble it, boil it and then toss it in butter – it's going to be an endeavour.”
The Government of Canada had pledged to match donations made to the Canadian Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal up to a maximum of $10 million. The matching funds will come from Global Affairs Canada.
That $10-million goal has been met and matched.
“The Canadian Red Cross is always impressed by Canadians for their generosity following a disaster or crisis anywhere in the world,” said Conrad Sauvé, president and CEO of the Canadian Red Cross, in a media release.
Canadians wishing to donate to the Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal can do so online at www.redcross.ca or by calling 1-800-418-1111.
Phibbs, meanwhile, sees her perogy fundraiser as multifaceted. While it raises funds to support the humanitarian effort, it also gives people – who may feel helpless – a way to help the people of Ukraine, while also bringing the community together.
And it will connect her, once again, with her Baba and Gigi.
“I remember the very first time I made the chrusicki myself in my own home. I'd made them with my Baba and I made them with my mom, but I'd never made them on my own,” she remembers.
“It had been years since I had eaten them, and it brought tears to my eyes when I tasted it. It was like I was in my Baba's house again.”