04/18/2026
iFest is back!
The International Festival of Minnesota
For The Shawarma Co team (Yana Tomashevska, Valerii Bashtan, Vlad Mak), together with our friends (Kristina Surzhenko, Vladislav Odiiak), it was a real honor to represent the Ukrainian corner and be part of something bigger than just a festival.
Thank you to IFest for bringing this back - and a special thanks to Steve Heckler for the invitation, along with all the guidance and support along the way.
And to everyone who showed up, stood in line, shared energy, and gave feedback - we felt it all 🧡
Special thanks to Senator John Hoffman for taking the time to visit us - it means a lot to see Ukrainian culture recognized and appreciated.
Big respect to our friends at Protez Foundation for stopping by. Those moments meant everything.
Meeting Ukrainian defenders and talking with you was an honor. We'll always support you. You are our pride 🧡
We're grateful to be part of a community where cultures are shared, supported, and celebrated.
And one more thing!
if you've been thinking about supporting Ukrainian soldiers, now is the moment.
Supporting Dmytro Kuraksa - Commander of the Special Diving Unit "OMEGA".
Operating in extreme conditions, doing the work most never see.
PayPal in bio. Every contribution matters 🇺🇦
