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David Furst: A new documentary tells the story of the family behind the beloved 70-year-old Ukrainian restaurant. It's called Vaselka, The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World. We hear how the East Village staple started out as a small coffee shop on the corner of East Ninth Street and Second Avenue in the neighborhood historically known as Little Ukraine, and over time, it expanded becoming famous for its signature borscht and pierogi. Let's listen to a clip from the film. This is the narrator David Duchovny giving Vaselka's origin story.

David Duchovny: Jason Birchard has a hunger to feed people, like his father and grandfather before him, but the feeding goes beyond food itself. Food should unite us, and it can transport us, bringing the flavors of Ukraine and Eastern Europe to a corner of New York City.

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David Furst: The film follows third-generation owner Jason Birchard who took over day-to-day operations after his father Tom retired. We see the restaurant face the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic, undergo a process of renovation, and we see staff deal with the devastation of an ongoing war in Ukraine. The film is out in select theaters tomorrow, and joining us to discuss the film is director Michael Fiore. Welcome to All Of It.

Michael Fiore: Thank you so much for having me.

David Furst: We also have second-generation owner, Tom Birchard. Welcome.

Tom Birchard: Yes. Thank you.

David Furst: Alongside the man representing the next generation of Vaselka, Jason Birchard. Jason, welcome.

Jason Birchard: Happy to be here. Thank you.

David Furst: Listeners, we would love to hear from you. Have you been to Vaselka recently? When was the last time you dined there? What did you order? Do you live near or, perhaps, in little Ukraine? What are some of your favorite Vaselka stories or memories of the restaurant? Give us a call or send us a text. 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC, or you can reach out to us on X, formerly known as Twitter, or Instagram @AllOfItWNYC. Michael, in this documentary, we learned about three generations of this family that has cultivated a home for Ukrainians away from home. What was the impetus for you to make this documentary?

Michael Fiore: I went to neighboring NYU Film School, and any student or alum knows that Vaselka is there to be your second kitchen or your home away from home. I started going there about 20 years ago, and I had known the kind of back-of-the-menu story of the three generations. 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.

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 going to 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. In February, I'd-- We hadn't started the movie yet, and I had reached out to Tom and Jason again and 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 home, I felt the parallels were too strong to deny them. We were all in agreement that now was the time to tell the story.

David Furst: Obviously, the story changed radically from where you started. 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?

Jason Birchard: In the beginning, I felt very connected being my-- A grandson of my grandfather who, unfortunately, escaped Russian oppression and arrived here in the late 1940s. I believe his spirit lives in me and when this conflict started, I wanted to, with the outpouring of love and the customers were coming from near and far to not only enjoy our food but wanted to donate and contribute.

I had partnered with a local nonprofit that I've been partnered with since-- For more than 10 years called Razom 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.

Shortly after that, borscht-- There was a fight between where borscht originated, whether it was in Ukraine or Russia, and it was designated as a 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 movie's come out now right before the two-year anniversary. It's a political hot potato in Washington, but it's a small-- A story about how we all can come together, especially as a community, to do our best to keep our fellow Ukrainians alive.

David Furst: Thank you for sharing. It's difficult to sort out what you do with the spotlight.

Jason Birchard: It is. I've had so many different politicians and celebrities and everybody wanting to share in that moment or how can they help. It's dwindled now, unfortunately, but coming on air and being able to express and continue what we're doing is important to me, so I'm here to answer whatever I can.

David Furst: If you would like to join this discussion and share your thoughts on what we're talking about or just on Vaselka in general, the number 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. Text right now. Vaselka has the best beet salad in New York City. [laughter] I don't think there's any argument in the room here. Let's hear from Lorie calling from Manasquan, New Jersey. Good afternoon.

Lorie: Hi. Can you hear--

David Furst: Yes, we can.

Lorie: Turn it off? Down.

David Furst: Oh, we can hear you.

Lorie: Can you hear me?

David Furst: We can hear you. Sure. Do you want to share a story?

Lorie: Yes, I do. Thanks. Right after college, I moved into the West Village and was always hanging out in the East Village, and the place was famous, Vaselka. It had the best bread and the best lentil soup, and I have ton of memories. As 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. I just wanted to say that it was a good, good part right after college of my life.

Jason Birchard: Thank you for sharing.

Tom Birchard: [crosstalk] like to hear.

Jason Birchard: I consider ourselves a small humble restaurant in the corner of-- In the East Village. My father, and working there as a child, obviously, built this business and gave me the opportunity to continue the family legacy, and I really always think small-minded that we're just a small little corner restaurant in the East Village, but due to a variety of different scenarios that have played out, the tragedies, 9/11 and Superstorm Sandy, that people have come and continue to support.

I think that's part of our Ukrainian heritage. We're a very strong, resilient, perseverant people, and I've learned a lot from my father. We're just happy to celebrate our 70th anniversary this year. It's people like you that keep-- Have fond memories and keep coming.

David Furst: Thank you very much for sharing. If you would like to call, again, it's 212-433-9692. Tom, I want to get into the history of your business. Vaselka, which means Rainbow in Ukrainian, right,-

Tom Birchard: Yes.

David Furst: -was founded by your in-laws Volodymyr and Ola in 1954. It wasn't this big restaurant that we see now, right?

Tom Birchard: No, it was more-- It was a typical Lower East Side candy store.

David Furst: Can you tell us about that and about your in-laws?

Tom Birchard: Yes, my in-laws were-- They immigrated from a displaced persons camp in Germany in 1950. Then my father-in-law bought this funky little newsstand on the corner of Second Avenue and Ninth Street in 1954. 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 Valentine Brewery in Newark, but they certainly had aspirations of bettering their life. 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.

David Furst: How did you get pulled into the family business?

Tom Birchard: I met their daughter at a fraternity party at Rutgers in 1966 and 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 experiencing the vibrancy and the diversity and the energy was really infectious. I took to it right away. My last two and a half years of college, I worked at Veselka on weekends, and my father-in-law tragically passed away in 19-- Let's see.

David Birchard: '74?

Tom Birchard: Yes, '74 I took over and struggled with it, but eventually figured out what it would take to make the business succeed. Luckily, we're still here.

David Furst: Luckily indeed. If you would like to join this conversation, again, we're having a lot of phone calls coming through right now. Let's get to some of your calls. 212-433-9692. Let's hear from Al in Millville. Welcome to All Of It. Good afternoon. Oh, Al is not available right now. Okay. How about let's hear from Risa in Huntington. Good afternoon, welcome to All Of It.

Risa: Hi, how are you?

David Furst: Great.

Risa: During the '80s, I lived on Seventh Street, which was-- There's a beautiful Ukrainian church on Seventh 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 basement. 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. As a result of Veselka, places like Stanley's, places like Christina, I could go on and on, there was so many of them, they really were-- They allowed great cheap, fair, party cheap Eastern European fair, and I'll always remember that. Now, Veselka, I was saying to the fellow who took my call, had a, if I remember correctly, had a really cool mural painted on the outside. I believe the owner's wife was a veterinarian.

Tom Birchard: Yes.

Risa: I know I bought my cat [crosstalk]

Tom Birchard: Yes, that's my wife, Sally.

Risa: Oh, that's so-- Oh, yes, I just so remember that. It was one of many caps that I had, but anyhow, that was just unusual that she was almost as famous as the [unintelligible 00:13:51]

[laughter]

Tom Birchard: Actually, I realized early on that there was no veterinarian in the entire East Village, and my wife at the time was working uptown. 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's like 14 or 15 veterinary offices, but she was the first.

David Furst: Very cool. We just heard about the murals.

Jason Birchard: The originator, the-- Arnie Charnick who was a Cooper Union graduate, painted the first one in 1982, and he still rotates different artwork. We actually just posted or just hung a new exhibition in the restaurant.

David Furst: It was time for a new mural. Let's listen to a quick clip from the film. This is Arnold Charnick who, for decades now, has been your muralist, recounting a moment when he realized there may be a change-

Tom Birchard: In the guard.

David Birchard: -in leadership. A changing of the guard going on.

Arnold Charnick: In 2015 I came in and I said, "So, Tom, what do you think? You think it's time for a new mural?" "Well, maybe. I don't know. This one is still popular." Jason said, "No, it's time for a new mural. It's time. Dad, I'll take care of this." At the moment, I saw the shift, and I went, "Yes, baby."

[laughter]

David Furst: Tom, is that accurate? Is that the moment when--

Tom Birchard: Yes, that's accurate. Actually, I met Arnie in-- Oh gee, many years ago. When I first came to Veselka there were five phone booths across the back wall and it was a major-- When I first came to Veselka, bookies would come in and call in their bets on the phone booths.

David Furst: Wow.

Tom Birchard: That switched to more drug dealing activity. Eventually, we removed the phone booths to put in some tables as we slowly transitioned from candy store to restaurant. When I first met Arnie, we came up with the idea of-- I got a lot of pushback about taking the phones out. People were not happy about that, but we decided to do something funny and actually paint a picture of five phone booth across that back wall. That got some attention. It was a funny thing. Then our relationship just blossomed from there. He painted mural outside, and he's been our continuing muralist since then. Since [crosstalk]

David Furst: Amazing. We have so many calls coming through about right now. I want to get to a couple of them.

Tom Birchard: Sure.

David Furst: Reggie calling from Bed-Stuy, welcome to All Of It.

Reggie: Hi. I'm a jazz musician and a rock musician, and after 2:00 AM after a gig, I guess for the last 40 years, my first time was when I played CVs in the '80s, Veselka has the best food. The buckwheat pancakes and that large chef salad. At 2:00 AM in the morning, they have the best food. It's also filling. It's a hangout for musicians after the last set down there in the East Village.

David Furst: Jason, can you speak to that? You have a lot of experience with that [crosstalk].

Jason Birchard: 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 a 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. Right now we close at midnight, but we're here for you.

David Furst: 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?

Michael Fiore: 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. I think, given the sentiment that is happening right now in our US government about funding Ukraine, and even 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 want to give too much away, where Mayor Adams shows up and he's very torn between multiple messages for that luncheon. 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 Jason can be the agent of change. I think we all can be the agent of change. I hope that the movie plants that seed in everyone's head.

David Furst: We just have a couple of moments left, but Tom or Jason, a final thought. Tom?

Tom Birchard: I can't help thinking over and over, when I first came to Veselka, I'd learned the story of my in-laws who had had 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. Then watching our employees who've helped build this incredible business suffer with-- Worried about their families back home, it's just heartbreaking. We're just doing everything we can to support them and try to make people aware of the human impact of this horrible war.

David Furst: It's such a moving film, and the employees are such a big part of it. Director Michael Fiore, Tom Birchard, Jason Birchard from Veselka, thank you so much for joining us today.

Michael Fiore: Thank you.

Jason Birchard: Thank you for having us.

Tom Birchard: Thank you.

David: Once again, the documentary is called Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World.

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