INGOOD TASTE
Candid conversations with the dining scene’s most engaging chefs
Nadia Gorban, Owner and Chef,
Lviv European Kitchen & Millie’s Italian Deli
Lviv European Kitchen & Millie’s
Italian Deli
940 5th Avenue, Coraopolis; 412.262.1210,
lviveuropeankitchen.com
(Tues.-Fri., 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sat., Noon to 6
p.m.; Sunday and Monday by reservation
only)
On the Menu:
Traditional Ukrainian fare handmade from
scratch. From stuffed cabbage, haluski
and borsch to pierogies (such as Pelmeni
pierogies; potato with bacon, sauerkraut
with mushrooms, bacon, potato or kielba-
sa; spinach with ricotta; and sweet cottage
cheese—to name a few), Lviv European
Kitchen also offers an Italian menu from
its Millie’s Italian Deli. The menu offers a
variation on traditional and non-tradi-
tional Italian options such as the Stuffed
Tuna Pita made with roasted peppers,
provolone cheese and lettuce and tomato;
the Gyro with feta cheese, lettuce, tomato,
onion and cucumber sauce; The Reuben
Baby made with corned beef, sauerkraut,
Thousand Island dressing and Swiss
cheese; the Grilled Hot Sausage topped
with fried green peppers and onions and
provolone cheese; the Soprano piled high
with roast beef, turkey, ham, provolone
cheese with roasted red peppers; and
Sammy the Bull made of roast beef,
turkey, roasted red peppers and provo-
lone cheese. Other popular menu items
include traditional pizza, pierogi pizza,
Ukrainian pizza, and hoagies served on
fresh Mancini’s Italian bread. Sides include
salads, cheese sticks, chicken wings, kids’
meals with chicken nuggets, plus cheese
and meat trays and hoagies rings. Cater-
ing is available with a 24-hour advance
call. Customers can order by the tray for
location catering or utilize the 50-seat din-
ing room, buffet-style accommodations.
Describe the moment you
found a passion for food.
Ever since I was a teenager
I learned how to cook from
my mom. She taught me
everything I know in the kitchen. She taught
me how to make borsch and pierogies. I would
watch her and mimic what she was doing as
she cooked for the family. Growing up in a
small village in the Ukraine was very quiet.
Everybody made food for their families using
ingredients from their small farms and gardens.
In our garden, we grew potatoes, carrots,
beets—you name it. We had chickens, pigs,
cows and turkeys. Everything we needed we
used from our own meats, milk, fruits and
vegetables.
Q A
Describe Lviv European Kitchen & Millie’s
Italian Deli.
Lviv means “Hometown” in Ukrainian. I
wanted to bring what home cooking means
to me to my customers at Lviv. In 2008 my
husband Mike and I opened Lviv after we
purchased Millie’s Italian Deli. We kept Millie’s
Italian deli and added Lviv’s Ukrainian food
to the business. Mike helps buy supplies and
he also handles deliveries, but I cook the food.
Lviv is a family-owned and operated restaurant
and two of our four children work here when
we need help.
724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE
What kitchen tools can’t you live
without?
My Hobart mixer. I need it to mix the potato
filling for all of the pierogies. I make a variety of
pierogies, including potato and jalapeno, potato
and cheddar and sauerkraut. People like these
varieties. We have a lot of customers, but it’s
our older customers who say our food reminds
them of their mamas and that our pierogies are
the best.
What is your favorite go-to ingredient?
Salt and pepper.
What is your favorite quick meal to
prepare at home?
Potato pancakes with sour cream.
Best advice for a novice?
Owning a restaurant is very hard work. Days
are usually 12 hours long and sometimes even
longer depending on what’s going on. You must
be motivated and like what you do to make it in
this business.
Other than Lviv European Kitchen &
Millie’s Italian Deli, where is your favorite
place to eat in the city?
Dynasty International Buffet in Cranberry
Township is very good. I order the sushi and
crab legs.
What’s the next big food or dining trend?
There’s nothing better than homemade food—
especially from scratch. I also think food trucks
are still popular. We have a food truck or trailer
we take out on Mondays and Saturdays to
farmers market and colleges, or corporations.
We like going out with our truck. It means we
can get out of the restaurant and we can enjoy
meeting new people. We put up a tent and
tables, and cater birthday parties, graduations,
funerals and weddings—we’re homemade
comfort food. n
Pierogies
10
Lviv European Kitchen & Millie’s Italian Deli in
Coraopolis.
—Reese Randall
❘
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