Joey Magidson
A bit of a disclosure should be made right at the top here. Veselka, the restaurant that’s the subject of this documentary being reviewed, is one of my favorite places to eat in the world. I’ve been going for almost twenty years, so I’m incredibly familiar with that. So, that puts me front and center as an obvious audience member for Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World. At the same time, I don’t watch much food programming, so I need more than just this hook. Luckily, the doc is about much more than a Ukrainian diner. It’s about no less than the need for compassion in this world. The way it conveys this makes it one of the most satisfying films of the year so far.
Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World is heartwarming, informative, and utterly engrossing. There’s some glamour shots of the delicious food, but more than anything else, this takes you behind the scenes to see about how this is all literally made with love. That really helps to set this movie apart.
The doc tells the story of Veselka, a beloved Ukrainian restaurant on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, as well as its father and son owners, Tom Birchard and Jason Birchard. Tom had married into a family that ran a tiny store which opened in 1954, eventually taking it over and helping grow it into a beloved eatery. After college, Jason joined the family business, becoming the owner once Tom more or less retired during COVID in 2020. It’s an incredibly demanding yet rewarding job, though in 2022 it took on a whole new layer.
When Russia invades Ukraine, Jason becomes a surrogate father of sorts to many of his employees, especially those separated from their parents back home. Now, not only does he have to keep his business as successful as ever, planning a major renovation, but he’s also helping get relatives of his workers into the country, arranging for donations to the war, and eventually keeping the public invested in the effort. Through it all, they keep on serving the borscht, pierogis, and ever other delicious food item that has made them an institution in Little Ukraine.
Filmmaker Michael Fiore loves this place, maybe more than the patrons, and it shows. Opting to be a fly on the wall as the restaurant operates, he never goes too hard on any one element. It’s almost as if the story comes to him. Having David Duchovny narrate sporadically gives things a little heft, but it’s largely Tom, Jason, and the worker who tell this story. There’s not too much in the way of food porn, but it will still make you hungry.
Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World will warm your heart like a hearty meal. Seeing how much the Birchard family cares not just about making the operation a success, but making their employees feel loved, it just works. I already adored the restaurant, but now that I know what goes on behind the scenes, my affection has only grown!
SCORE: ★★★
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