Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine displaced millions, including Kostiantyn Mukhin and Eugenia Karkina, the husband-and-wife team behind Sunflower Ukrainian Foods. The couple came to Colorado from Kherson, a Ukrainian city heavily affected by the war. “Like millions of Ukrainians, we were forced to leave our home and start over,” Kostiantyn explains. “We came to Colorado through the Uniting for Ukraine program with the hope of building a safe future for our daughter.”
With restaurant experience back home, Kostiantyn found a natural path forward in food. What began as a small operation has since grown into a new food truck with a packed events calendar.
For many Coloradans, Ukrainian cuisine may still be unfamiliar. Sunflower hopes to change that. “I hope they’re curious enough to stop and try something new,” Kostiantyn says. “Then I hope they discover that Ukrainian food is comforting, homemade, flavorful, and made with care.” And they’re just getting started. “Our long-term dream is to open a permanent Ukrainian restaurant where guests can experience even more of our cuisine, traditions, and hospitality.”
Happy Hour
Kawa Ni brings the same playful energy as its full menu to happy hour, with plenty of reasons to order one more round. Start with a crisp toki highball, yuzu-lime variation, or rotating chu-hai, then lean into the snacks. Shishitos arrive with sweet chili and cashews, while swordfish katsu gets tucked into a bao with aji amarillo and curry squash pickle. There’s also ginger-spiked karaage, smoked hamachi dip, and, for something more substantial, buckwheat soba or spicy chicken tan tan noodles. It’s a smart way to sample the LoHi izakaya’s Japanese-inspired cooking without committing to a full dinner.
News Bites
West Elks AVA is having a moment: USA Today readers recently named the high-altitude Colorado wine region the nation’s No. 2, with elevation helping produce particularly flavorful wines.
Amid an Olathe sweet corn shortage, Colorado’s largest supplier, Tuxedo Corn Company, is taking its harvest straight to consumers with retail trucks instead of supplying Kroger stores.
Black Box Bakery is on the rise. After growing from a pastry wholesaler into an Edgewater Public Market favorite, the bakery will open a sit-down cafe in Suzette’s former space this fall.
Boulder restaurateur Edwin Zoe is going upscale with San San, his new Pearl Street restaurant. Expect Chinese American classics reimagined with a fine-dining touch, marking a polished new direction for the Zoe Ma Ma founder.
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