A review of Ukrainian Food Flair: Authentic Recipes from Canada’s West Coast, a collection of more than 200 recipes by the late Sylvia Molnar, long-time contributor to Nash Holos Ukrainian Roots Radio. Edited by Paulette MacQuarrie, the cookbook blends authentic West Coast Ukrainian dishes with anecdotes, cooking tips, and variations, and stands as a tribute to Sylvia’s legacy and her influence on Vancouver’s culinary community.
In this edition of Knyzka Corner, we will be discussing Ukrainian Food Flair, a cookbook filled with the recipes and memories of Sylvia Molnar, a long-time contributor to Nash Holos. It was edited by Nash Holos producer and host Paulette MacQuarrie. In the interests of transparency, the reviewer was a proofreader on this project.
Ukrainian Food Flair’s subtitle is “authentic recipes from Canada’s West Coast.” In the spirit of Savella Stechishin’s classic cookbook, Traditional Ukrainian Cooking, Paulette MacQuarrie has compiled a collection of Ukrainian recipes first presented on the Nash Holos radio program by Sylvia Molnar. She was an educator and a well-known figure in Vancouver’s culinary community. Sylvia passed away in 2015, and this cookbook is a tribute to her memory. Paulette’s “Introduction” tells readers, “It gives me great pleasure to finally be able to share [these recipes] in this cookbook that bears the name of the radio series that Sylvia presented for so long on Nash Holos Ukrainian Roots Radio.” (p. vi)
Ukrainian Food Flair is organized in ten chapters: appetizers & beverages, soups & accompaniments, salads, sauces & condiments, breads & quick breads, casseroles/dumplings & side dishes, meat & seafood, vegetables, cakes & tortes, and sweets/treats & desserts. Each chapter presents dozens of recipes. The recipes begin with an anecdote, cooking tip or nutritional information. Some of the anecdotes delve into Sylvia’s own life experiences. In “Pickled Herring (Ukrainian Style),” Sylvia tells readers, “As a child, I remember eating raw salted herring with my dad – which didn’t particularly impress my mom and sister. However, that was okay with me, because it meant more for my dad and me.” (p. 15)
The recipe directions are presented in a simple and straightforward manner. The ingredients are listed on the left side, and the instructions follow on the right side of the page. All of the recipes are limited to one page, which makes following them very easy for both the experienced cook and the novice. At times, Sylvia gives readers several variations on her recipes. For example, the recipe for “Pyrizhky (Cocktail Buns)” is presented on one page, but there are six savory filling variations on the next page. (Pp. 24-25)
The recipes are numerous – over 200 – and varied. In the “Salads” section, there are many traditional Ukrainian recipes, but there are also some new gems to explore. Readers of Ukrainian heritage will recognize recipes such as “Cucumber Salad,” “Festive Red Cabbage Salad,” and “Sauerkraut Salad” from the kitchens of their mothers and grandmothers. However, there are also new and interesting salads which will appeal to the reader looking for healthier options such as, “Asparagus & Beet Salad,” “Red Radish Salad,” and “Peach and Pear Salad.” There is something for everyone here!
Perhaps the tastiest and most decadent chapters are those devoted to “Cakes & Tortes,” as well as “Sweets, Treats & Desserts.” Once again, there are traditional recipes to savor such as “Poppy Seed Cake,” “Quick Honey Cake,” and “Kutia.” However, there are also unique recipes from Canada’s Ukrainian West Coast heritage such as “Stuffed Baked Salmon,” “Prune Puff,” and “Prawns Kyiv.”
This collection of Molnar’s recipes is full of touching anecdotes about cooking with her family and friends. Readers who want to know more about Ukrainian culture and culinary traditions in Canada will definitely enjoy this book. However, other readers who simply want to find easy, tasty, and original Ukrainian recipes will also find them in this cookbook!
Sylvia Pidraziuk Molnar was born in Vancouver to Ukrainian parents who had come to Canada during the second wave of Ukrainian immigration in the 1920’s and 1930’s. She graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1967 and promptly launched her public-school teaching career. During her 26 years as a teacher, she taught art and music, but also snuck in cooking lessons. Over the years, she collected and published recipes in The Vancouver Sun, Bon Appetit, and several cookbooks. In 1995, Sylvia opened Sylvia’s Cooking School in Vancouver, and began a regular segment called “Ukrainian Food Flair” on the Nash Holos Ukrainian radio program. She appeared on various television programs, and travelled widely, including to Ukraine, to increase her cooking repertoire. Sylvia passed away in 2015, and was survived by her sister Leone who was instrumental in getting Ukrainian Food Flair published.
Paulette Demchuk MacQuarrie – also known as “Pawlina” on Nash Holos – is descended from Ukrainian immigrants who came to Canada at the turn of the 20th century. All of her grandparents came from Halychyna to homestead in Saskatchewan, northeast of Regina. In 1988, Paulette moved to Vancouver where she became involved in the British Columbia Ukrainian community, and was soon co-hosting a new Ukrainian radio program called Nash Holos in 1990. After a four-year break, she brought Nash Holos back to the Vancouver airwaves in 2000, and in 2006 broke the record for the second time as the longest-running Ukrainian radio program in the history of British Columbia. In 2025, she celebrates the 25th anniversary with CHMB and the 35th of the show’s inception.
The publication of Ukrainian Food Flair was a passion project for Paulette both to preserve Ukrainian culinary traditions, and to share Sylvia Molnar’s wonderful recipes with current and future generations.
Ukrainian Food Flair is available at Amazon, Chapters/Indigo and other online booksellers.
I’m Myra Junyk in Toronto for Nash Holos Ukrainian Roots Radio.
Molnar, Sylvia and Paulette MacQuarrie (editor).
UKRAINIAN FOOD FLAIR – Authentic Recipes from Canada’s West Coast.
Self-published, 2024. 287 p. ISBN 978-0-9810378-2-0
Available at Chapters/Indigo and Amazon
Reviewed by Myra Junyk
