1 of 4
Meghan Winkler
2 of 4
Meghan Winkler
3 of 4
Meghan Winkler
4 of 4
Meghan Winkler
Once a hotel with a lavish grand ballroom and recently the Taverne of Richfield, the 1886 robin’s egg-blue Victorian Richfield landmark was in disrepair — and its rich history was at risk of being lost. Chef Olesia Pochynok saw the potential for a new location for her refined Ukrainian American restaurant that she opened in 2012.
“I fell in love with the building,” says Pochynok.
The $2 million makeover started with contractors taking it down to the studs, fixing structural issues and making it accessible. Pochynok and her husband, Joe Butano, partnered with Architectural Justice to retain its Victorian elegance while adding contemporary upscale flair.
“We made new pieces look like old pieces so they all match the late 1800s theme,” she says.
Opening up the main floor, they centralized the bar, which now has a gorgeous illuminated quartz and marble bar top, custom wrought-iron scroll medallions adorning dark woods and teal leather tufted stools. They unveiled and restored a 1917 mural of a Williamsburg, Virginia, palace and added a Victorian front to a fireplace. Butano redid the basement lounge into a speakeasy with live music, topping the bar with 19,462 pennies spelling out Olesia and Joe. They restored the wood floors in the upstairs ballroom and added 1800s chandeliers from an Akron hotel.
Olesia’s Taverne of Richfield opened in 2020, serving sophisticated from-scratch Old World dishes reinterpreted from Pochynok’s upbringing on a farm in a Ukrainian village where they raised animals and grew produce for homemade meals, such as pierogies, which they made nearly daily. Pochynok uses milk, sour cream and butter for her pierogies ($17) and fills them with cheddar, cream cheese and potatoes to create a fluffy, soft texture. For more indulgence, you can top them with melt-in-your-mouth short ribs (extra $12).
She crafts red borscht from childhood memories. While her grandma cooked the soup with meat and bones, she makes it with beets, cabbage and more veggies but still adds a touch of sweet and sour.
“I use vinegar for sour, little honey and sugar for the sweetness and roasted peppers,” she says. “That’s how my grandma used to make it.” Order it on its own ($5-$8) or as a soup flight ($9) with house-made velvety lobster and crab bisque and comforting chicken paprikash.
Pochynok is happy to save a historic gem and is proud to share her Ukrainian heritage.
“I wanted to show other people a part of my culture,” she says. “It’s really nice to know people enjoy it. … That drives me to do more.”
3960 Broadview Road, Richfield, olesiastaverne.com
