12. Taste a Ukrainian dessert.

In 1989 four Ukrainian families, including the nine-member Gavrilov family that established European Delights, left the Soviet Union as refugees. They arrived in Jessamine County lonely—and still learning the English language and American culture. This inaugurated a chain of migration that by 2020 numbered over 200 families in Jessamine County.

 

Another huge wave arrived in 2022. By December of that year in which Russia invaded Ukraine, more than 500 more refugees had settled in Jessamine County. At a prayer vigil held at the courthouse, Judge Executive David West said, “We wanted the people of Ukrainian descent that have chosen Jessamine County to be their homes to know that we value you,” he said as murmurs of “Amen” rippled through the audience. “You have become our neighbors, our citizens and our friends. We want you to know that you’re important to this community. We wanted to acknowledge that you are in our thoughts and prayers and hearts, and not only you, but any family or friends you may still have in Ukraine. We lift up the Ukrainian people in our prayers.” As the vigil participants sang the last song, “Let There be Peace on Earth,” the courthouse was lit up in blue.

 

By 2024 an estimated 1,000 had arrived since the war began. According to a Jessamine Journal article, that marks about a 1 percent population increase for the county. Judge West says it’s not uncommon to hear the Ukrainian language being spoken inside the courthouse.

 

The children attend local schools.  “We reach out to families a lot, we have meetings online with parents, and we have Ukrainian interpreters present,” said Kathy Davila, a West Jessamine High School teacher. “A few of us are trying to learn Ukrainian, which is a difficult language for us but we’re trying.”

 

The families started churches. At the beginning they gathered each week in each other’s homes to pray, study the Bible, and eat together. Each month they visited other Slavic churches in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Georgia for communion. Eventually, they established the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church. In 2010 the church completed a large building on Brannon Road to accommodate their 1,200 members (not including children!).

 

Ukrainian immigrants to Jessamine County have also been economically entrepreneurial. They’ve launched construction companies, plumbing companies, furniture resale businesses, restaurants, coffee shops, and of course, the European Delights Gourmet Bakery.

 

A manager told me that their pastries tend to be broadly Eastern European more than particularly Ukrainian. But if you’re looking for a delicacy loved by Ukrainians, she recommended the mille-feuille (or Napoleon). It’s got twelve thin layers with vanilla cream in between. Pastry chef Adrien Artigarrède, who revived the cake in 1925, added almonds from Crimea and icing sugar that symbolized the snows of Russia that helped Tsar Alexander I defeat Napoleon in 1812. For those who have read the hilarious novel A Gentleman in Moscow, the mille-feuille is referenced as a special treat for Count Rastov.

 

If the Napoleon is not available, try the Spartak, a layered chocolate honey cake soaked in a rich pastry cream. It too is commonly eaten at Ukrainian celebrations. Both are seasonal—in the spring—so head to European Delights soon.

 

*** Update ***

 

In the winter of 2026, a restaurant called Taste of Ukraine opened at 106 E Maple Street in downtown Nicholasville. There you can sample borscht (beet soup), varenyky (dumplings), holubtsi (stuffed cabbage), and deruny (potato pancakes).