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Before: The exterior of Veselka, located at 144 Second Ave. in 1967. (Photo: Veselka) After: The exterior of Veselka in 2014. (Photo: DNAinfo/Lisha Arino)
EAST VILLAGE — For a few hours Monday night, the food at Veselka will be completely free.
To celebrate its 60th anniversary, the popular East Village Ukrainian eatery will shut down normal operations from 6 to 11 p.m. for what operating manager Jason Birchard called a "celebratory bash" that will be open to the public. The restaurant has been located on the corner of East Ninth Street and Second Avenue since 1954.
"After 60 years, we thought it'd be a great way to give back to the community that has supported us for that long," said Birchard, who is the grandson of Veselka's original owner, Wlodymyr Darmochwal.
The free event will include mini "hors d’oeuvres style" versions of the restaurant's classic dishes, Birchard said, like Ukrainian meatballs, potato pancakes, beef stroganoff and bigos, a sauerkraut kielbasa stew that will be made into little "hot pockets" for the event.
The party will also include a pierogi bar in the back that will feature its popular potato Ukrainian dumplings, as well the seasonal short rib and pumpkin versions, he said.
There will also be two booze bars that will serve red and white wine, prosecco and Ukrainian draft beers, he said.
"It's going to be just like a big grand cocktail party," Birchard said.
Before: Veselka employees pose near the register in 1981. (Photo: Veselka) After: Veselka employees work at the register during a busy afternoon on Oct. 31, 2014. (Photo: DNAinfo/Lisha Arino)
The event is part of the restaurant's yearlong celebration of its 60th anniversary, he said. Over the summer, the restaurant ran a special that offered menu items at 1954 prices for 54 minutes.
The restaurant has changed drastically since it opened, Birchard said. At first, it was a "little store" that sold cigarettes, candy and newspapers with limited food offerings, he said.
"There was only soup and a couple of items on the menu," Birchard said. When his father, Tom Birchard, married into the family and took over the business in the 1960s, the businesses began to focus on food, he said.
His father also oversaw Veselka's expansion over the years, including a massive renovation in 1996 that closed the restaurant for six months while workers opened up the space by knocking down a wall and adding floor-to-ceiling windows, Birchard said.
Birchard said he and his family are grateful for the support they have received over the years.
"It's heartwarming, it's humbling," he said. "Not a lot of places, unfortunately, in New York can claim an anniversary like this, due to the rent structures and just the way Manhattan is being commercialized.”
"We've very fortunate, very humbled and we just hope that we can be here for another 60 years."