New Faces, Old Places: How the Ukrainian Culture Is Shaping Asheville

 By Jonathan Diehl

Everywhere you go, you see signs in English and Spanish. Bilingual literature sits on a table in the lobby of Occumed off of Biltmore Avenue. At first glance, it appears natural, commonplace, a typical medical brochure. But look again: this brochure on Hepatitis A and B, containing everything from known causes and cures to prevention, sanitation, and education, is written completely in Ukrainian.


 

Aleksander Petrovets, owner of Euro Foods Imported, a local food store specializing in Ukranian and Russian cuisine.  Photo by Cathryn Shaffer.

          It\’s a telltale sign that there\’s obviously a need for something like this. And then it hits you: you\’re living in a multi-cultural community. There\’s a new face in town that receives relatively little press, isn\’t that well known, and mostly keeps to itself.

Ukrainians have been immigrating here for centuries; it\’s not been documented who the first immigrants were, but it is known that they have been coming here in relatively large numbers during the past 30 years or so. And this community functions not unlike a small colony. Many Ukrainian residences have three generations occupying a dwelling, and with each generation back, the less and less American influence you find.

The youngest generations are usually fluent in both English and Ukrainian, learning both languages as they grow up. Most parents of Ukrainian children speak relatively little or broken English, and most grandparents are familiar only with the Ukrainian tongue, both spoken and written. As a result, Asheville\’s youth are more familiar with the Ukrainian community than American adults in Asheville are, especially with the influx of Ukrainian and Slavic immigrants dotting local schools, churches, and even retail establishments like Euro Foods Imported.

A brochure in a medical office isn\’t the only influence that can be seen, though. Euro foods and Imported is a Ukrainian family-owned and operated business that offers both Russian and European cuisine. Just walk into the store and you\’ll feel as if you\’ve walked across the Atlantic, with the vast array of products and beverages sold in Cyrillic-type advertising. But what is really unique is the fact that this store caters directly to Ukrainians and Russians, as evidenced by the sales pitches reflecting the owners\’ homeland. (I recommend the ketchup, pronounced Chu-mak in Ukrainian.)

Asheville is very diverse religiously, and the Ukrainian community is no exception. Take any given Sunday and go to a church after-hours, and you may be lucky enough to catch a Slavic church service. The Hope Church located on Haywood Road in West Asheville hosts a completely independent congregation made up solely of Ukrainian and Russian immigrants, with Russian-language services held on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday that see more than 600 Ukrainians and Russians in attendance.

“I can go to any Russian church and just show up, and I\’m accepted. It\’s like I\’m family,” says Aleksander Petrovets, owner of Euro Foods. “It\’s everyone. Russians, Ukrainians, Latvians, Slovakians, the church accepts all of them.” It\’s a bond that has knit the Ukrainian community within itself and helped to preserve the traditions brought from overseas; everything from the cuisine to church services, to the household and beyond, and allowed the uniqueness of such a culture developing and growing thousands of miles from its origins.

It\’s been estimated that there are more than 65 different cultures and language groups living in Asheville. One thing is for sure: in subtle ways, the Ukrainian community, like all those others, empowers Asheville and adds to the diversity, sociology, and economy of this city, in much the same way as the city empowered earlier immigrants who came here seeking a better life; religious and political freedom, cultural acceptance, and opportunity. So what are you waiting for? Grab a Russian soda and celebrate diversity!