Meet Tatiana and her Moldovan Cuisine!
Little is ever heard of Moldova, especially here in Canada. The small, land-locked country of roughly four million people is practically unknown. However, Tatiana Arsenev is helping move her home country out of obscurity. And she is doing it using food.
Tatiana, who moved to Calgary from Moldova in 2009, sells the traditional dishes of her homeland at the Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmers’ Market. Those familiar with eastern European cuisine will recognize perogies, borscht and cabbage rolls, all of which are staples on her menu. Lesser known items like mamaliga (similar to polenta), mititei (ground meat mixed with spices and shaped) or blinchiki (thin pancakes, rolled and stuffed) are also occasionally on offer.
Becoming a market vendor wasn’t part of an ambitious plan by Tatiana to familiarize Canadians with Moldovan food; rather it was a matter of chance.
A couple of years ago Tatiana was approached to help cater a dinner for members of her church. She happily agreed, and the food she served was a hit. The experience of watching and listening to satisfied diners rave about her food was rewarding, so when Tatiana was approached again to cook for an HSCA event, her decision was easy. This time, however, the outcome and reward had even greater significance.
After delivering another exceptional meal, Liisa, The Apple Lady, suggested she try her hand at selling her food to patrons of the community association’s weekly farmers’ market. The decision wasn’t hard for Tatiana despite being occupied by her studies in English and managing a household with three young children. For her, it was an opportunity to do something she has loved ever since she was a little girl.
Tatiana learned how to cook when she was only five years old by watching her mother in the kitchen. As she grew, she took charge of feeding her brothers and sisters when their mother was off working. She would also forage for mushrooms and pick flowers for tea in the forest surrounding her hometown of Ungheni.
Her passion for food became so strong that at the age of 15, when asked by her principal what job she wanted to pursue, her answer was a chef. It only made sense, then, that following school she took cooking classes and began working in a local restaurant and school cafeteria. This lasted for almost five years, until she decided to move to Calgary to be with her husband, who had already moved here for work.
Now, Tatiana’s culinary history and skill comes through in the food she dishes out at the weekly market. She continues to be inspired by watching eaters discover Moldovan food for the first time, and then come back for more, week after week.
