For more than three years, Ukrainian fans of Swiss gastronomic culture have been able to enjoy authentic Swiss delicacies in Ukraine thanks to the Le Komora network of Swiss restaurants and culinary retailers. The first Le Komora outlet opened in Kharkiv in February 2015. Since then, the network has expanded to include two further restaurants in Kyiv and one in Poltava.
The restaurants feature distinctive traditional Swiss Alpine chalet design. Guests encounter atmospheric Swiss decor and timber furniture along with the paraphernalia of a skiing lodge high in the mountains. Visitors can choose to dine at Le Komora or stock up on imported Swiss treats including an extensive range of both cheeses and wines. The Le Komora network also stocks a wide selection of the accessories and implements used in the famous Swiss fondue process, with fondue selections and technologies to suit all tastes.
The inspiration for the launch of the Le Komora network in Ukraine came from Swiss national Peter Wermuth, who first came to Ukraine more than twenty years ago to introduce the Blasercafe coffee brand and has spent much of the intervening two decades introducing his Ukrainian friends and colleagues to Swiss culinary culture. Representatives of Le Komora say their goal is to promote this Swiss gastronomic culture among wider Ukrainian audiences and to create a little corner of Switzerland in every major Ukrainian city.
Company officials directly oversee the selection and import of all menu items and fondue equipment to ensure quality and freshness. Thanks to this approach, the choice of Swiss cheeses available in Ukraine is both extensive and exclusive. Le Komora clients can choose from a selection of different Appenzeller cheeses. Other popular options include delicious creamy Emmentaler AOP, the legendary Tête de Moine AOP, and the unique Mont Vully alt. Recent additions to the Le Komora menu include the classic alpine cheese Bundner Bergkase. Accompanying this unrivalled selection of Swiss cheeses is Ukraine’s largest range of Swiss wines.
The combination of cheese and wine served in a community atmosphere of shared dishes helps to create an uncomplicated and organic gastronomic atmosphere, with food prepared in an open kitchen in order to add to the impression of a natural dining experience. This simplicity is the essence of Swiss cuisine and a central element of Swiss family culture in general. It has proven very popular with Ukrainian audiences, fitting well with their own traditional agrarian embrace of organic and communal dining culture.
Le Komora is working to promote Swiss cuisine throughout the cities where the network is already present, participating in Ukraine’s popular “Street Food” festivals while also holding regular master classes to teach Ukrainian audiences how to properly prepare fondue dishes in the Swiss manner. The engaging and interactive style of fondue dining has also proven popular among corporate clients, with Le Komora reporting growing demand from Ukrainian companies for corporate parties where they offer to recreate the authentic flavors of Switzerland.
“Le Komora” Swiss dining in Ukraine
6/8 Kooperativna Street, Kharkiv
Tel.: +38-068-6277270
2-4/7 Pushkinska Street, Kyiv
Tel.: +38-066-5806917
30 Vasylkivska Street, Kyiv
Tel.: +38-095-9018669
3 Konstitution Street, Poltava
Tel.: +38-095-4866392
lekomora.com