Shokolad

Photo: Jabari Zuberi

Halyna Fedus knew that if she was going to sell borscht, blini and baked goods like the honey-walnut cake medivynk, she needed to do it in her own neighborhood, Ukrainian Village. Only problem is, in the year that her tidy little café Shokolad has been open, her fellow Ukrainians have become more scarce in the area, and the incoming residents literally don’t know what they’re missing.

Arriving in the States 13 years ago, Fedus quickly made the transition from baking Ukrainian-style cakes and pastries (which she had worked at perfecting since she was big enough to hold a rolling pin) to traditional French baking, learning as she went thanks to similarities in style—“my English was not so good, but there were many things the same so I just figured it out.”

Now, classic French opera cake sits in a pastry case alongside a Ukrainian specialty that layers seven slabs of honey-drizzled sponge cake with walnut-studded sour cream. Familiar baked goods like muffins and scones are among the best in the city when it comes to grab-and-go, but signature dishes informed by Fedus’s roots require pulling up a chair for a proper breakfast or lunch. Lacy crêpes go savory when stuffed with creamy spinach and roasted mushrooms, and sweet when wrapped around poppyseed-walnut filling and topped with crème anglaise and sour cherries. Traditionally zesty shredded-carrot salad gets crunch from coriander and heat from cayenne, while a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh parsley brings brilliant fuchsia borscht to life.

The well-heeled Ukrainians familiar with these signatures visit on weekends and place catering orders for wakes and weddings, helping keep Shokolad afloat. But during the week, Fedus is fearful of baking more than the mere half-dozen regular customers can support, as she insists on making everything fresh daily. “It was my dream to have my own place, to use my own recipes and to show people Ukraine-style cooking and baking,” Fedus says. “I am paying my bills, and I am just hoping that it will work.”

2524 W Chicago Ave at Maplewood Ave (773-276-6402). Bus: 49 (24hrs), X49, 66 (24hrs). Tue–Fri 8am–7pm; Sat 9am–7pm; Sun 10am–7pm. Average main course: $7.