Get a Taste of the Best Eggs in Town!
Get a Taste of the Best Eggs in Town
When you think of eggs in Northeast, breakfast at Elsie’s often comes to mind, but it’s eggs of a different kind that we are celebrating, as we head into Easter Sunday; the eggs of Luba Perchyshyn, a former resident of Catholic Eldercare’s River Village.
Luba was the Ukrainian egg artist of Northeast, but humility kept her from calling herself an artist. She would often say, “I just make things.” When she died in 2020 at age 96, Luba left a void at River Village where she is now remembered with a framed photo of one of her famous eggs. Steve Johnson is a River Village volunteer who had a special relationship with Luba. “She would teach me Ukrainian words and we would talk to each other. Her son would help us play bingo. The whole family was wonderful and appreciated the happiness I brought to their mother.”
Luba’s family has preserved the artistry of Ukrainian eggs for generations. They have written books on how to make them and continue to send supplies to people around the world from the Ukrainian Gift Shop that Luba and her mother Marie Procai began in 1947. Luba passed the craft to her three daughters, and her son, Elko, continues to run the family business. “She was the heart and soul of it all,” he says. “Now more than ever, it’s important to preserve our heritage by sharing the art of Ukrainian eggs with the world.” The Ukrainian Gift Shop at 1008 N. 5th Street in Minneapolis is now the world’s largest family-owned mail order source of Pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs) and Pysanky supplies.
As we head into Easter, we fondly remember the gift that Luba Perchyshyn was to Catholic Eldercare and the entire Northeast community.
We wish you a blessed Easter!