Good morning, afternoon, evening, or maybe night (the culinary muse is a very unpredictable creature, she may be hiding somewhere all day long and then suddenly come at night with her interesting ideas and a mad desire to cook something new and appetizing). I am very happy that you visited my cooking site. I am Iryna Hudyma, my main “profession” is a happy mother and wife. When I have a free minute I love to experiment in the kitchen, and my husband Roberto patiently and happily acts as a taster.
My love for cooking did not appear at once. I used to live quietly in my native city of Ternopil (Ukraine), graduated from the faculty of foreign languages, was fully immersed in science, and worked as a teacher at the university. I never thought about cooking, and all my culinary masterpieces were limited to mashed potatoes and tea.
I’ve always loved to eat good food, though!
I am very lucky to have the best mom and granny in the world, thanks to them my happy and carefree childhood was also very gastronomically rich and uncommon. My granny Maria worked all her life as a pastry chef in one of the largest hotels in Ternopil, so you can imagine how often I tasted various “fashionable” novelties in the form of cakes – cookies – pastries – pies, and other sweet and savory delicacies. And my mom cooks – bakes – stews – fries the most delicious soups, salads, snacks, and meat dishes in the world!
So in terms of cooking, I preferred putting everything in the capable hands of my mum and granny. But life is so unpredictable and it’s wonderful! You never know what surprise awaits you. My unexpected surprise was a meeting with a handsome Italian young man Roberto (although I don’t believe in coincidence). After we got married, I moved to Rome and … didn’t know what to do while my husband was at work. To improve my Italian I was sitting on the sofa in the company of the TV and the only thing that I more or less understood in the local language were culinary programs.
Italians, I must say, are great gourmets and wonderful cooks. Some men here cook even better than women! Whether it was the Italian passion for food (which seems to be in the air here), or the desire to pleasantly impress my husband with something delicious, I discovered a hidden gourmet in me. Unexpectedly for myself, I began to cook with enthusiasm. And my husband always gives me some interesting ideas.
Later our sons Alessio and Giuliano joined my personal team of tasters (they are sooooo picky eaters, but they are also my best helpers in the kitchen). Since our family is very international (I am Ukrainian, my husband is Italian, and my mother-in-law is Maltese), we cook Ukrainian, Italian and Maltese dishes. Also, we like to discover the tastes of other countries.
My beloved tasters
Welcome to our virtual kitchen. We are happy to share our culinary adventures, experiments and recipes with you.
