Ukrainian Cuisine as a Bridge for Cultural Dialogue: IvAlive at La Grande Table

The IvAlive Foundation team was honoured to take part in La Grande Table in Morges, one of the region’s largest multicultural festivals. There, we represented Ukraine through its rich culinary heritage, traditions of hospitality and openness to cultural exchange.

Throughout the festival, we prepared and served more than 1,400 portions of Ukrainian food and drinks, introducing hundreds of visitors to the authentic flavours of Ukraine. For many guests, it was their first opportunity to discover Ukrainian cuisine and learn more about our traditions and culture.

One of the biggest highlights was uzvar, a traditional Ukrainian fruit drink, which sparked a lot of curiosity among international visitors. Guests enjoyed tasting it, trying to guess its ingredients and learning how it is prepared. Our other dishes also attracted great interest and sparked many conversations about Ukraine’s history, traditions and life today.

This achievement would not have been possible without teamwork. Twelve volunteers contributed their time, energy and enthusiasm to help make the day memorable for everyone who approached us at the festival.

Taking part in La Grande Table gave us not only the opportunity to present Ukrainian cuisine, but also to make the Ukrainian community more visible, encourage cultural dialogue, break down stereotypes and tell people about Ukraine through a language everyone understands — the language of hospitality, traditions and genuine human connection.

We would like to thank everyone who helped make this event possible and supported us in proudly representing Ukrainian cuisine and Ukraine as a whole. Together, we continue to build bridges of understanding and introduce the world to our culture, values and people.