Considered a "culinary ambassador" for Ukraine, renowned chef Yurii Kovryzhenko has spent years championing the national gastronomy of his home country around the world.

Now Kovryzhenko, who's previously run restaurants in South Korea and Georgia, as well as Ukraine, is preparing to open a neo-bistro-style establishment in London that will be staffed by Ukrainian refugees.

He and his partner Olga Tsybytovska will launch Mriya in London's upscale Chelsea neighborhood later this month. But to say this latest venture has arisen out of difficult circumstances is something of an understatement.

The couple were visiting the UK capital from Kyiv for an event at the Embassy of Ukraine when Russia invaded their homeland back in February. They've been in the city ever since.

"When I was closing the door of my apartment, I thought that I would be back in 10 days," Tsybytovska, who previously worked in restaurant marketing, tells CNN Travel. "But life is so unpredictable."