Kostiantyn Mukhin grew up in Kherson, Ukraine, a major port city in Southern Ukraine just north of the Crimean Peninsula. In February 2022, shortly after opening his second restaurant, Russian forces invaded the region, and his life changed overnight. One of his restaurants was destroyed in the fighting, and the other was forced to close under Russian occupation. "Russian forces came in the city and take, like everything," Mukhin recalls.
In the early days of the invasion, Mukhin and his wife devoted themselves to supporting neighbors and those in need, delivering food and supplies throughout their community. But after three months living under occupation, the risks became too great. As volunteers began to disappear, they feared for their family's safety, especially their young daughter. "We decided to move to Georgia," Mukhin explains. "So, we use the border of Crimea and Russia and move into Georgia and try to decide and understand our next step."
Although Georgia offered safety, it provided little opportunity for a long-term future. "Georgia is a nice country, but it's not really good to pay your bills," Mukhin says. Searching for stability and a chance to rebuild, they began looking abroad. His wife, who worked with a United Nations organization, eventually secured a path to the United States. Later, in 2022, the family relocated to Colorado and began exploring ways to rebuild their lives.
Surprisingly, even though Mukhin owned two restaurants in Ukraine, food was not his original calling.
He earned degrees in economics and architecture and initially worked in financial analytics. "I just go and work in financial analytics in a huge company, but it's not something I really enjoyed," he recalls. Then, during a visit with frineds in Crimea, he saw something that sparked an idea. "We were visiting with our friends in Crimea, and I saw some guys who make pizza on the beach. And I think this can be good idea. Because one pizza is like two bucks, Eight pieces from one huge pizza is like sixteen bucks. So, it's good money in Ukraine, you know. I think it's good idea. I take a small spot, like 100 sq. feet on seashore at a sea resort and start to make pizza," explains Mukhin. That first season taught him the basics of managing business, preparing food, and serving customers.
Following a successful first season, Mukhin expanded the menu to include Chinese wok dishes and noodles. Then, he moved into a larger inside space, and in the third year expanded the menu to offer sushi. With continued success, they made this their permanent business and eventually bought a much bigger space. "We have a two-story restaurant with one hundred twenty seats inside, and like seventeen people work for us in one day. And then we start to think about moving downtown, just because downtown is more regular. We bought a really old restaurant downtown and started to rebuild it from scratch. We were almost done, and this is when war started," Mukhin explains. "Russian forces around the restaurant and some missiles came near and make lot of mess," he adds.
When Mukhin and his family arrived in Colorado, he wanted to rebuild their lives through food, but needed to figure out what he could do. "I just tried to go in restaurants here and see how it works. I actually helped open Molotov (one of Westword's best new restaurants of 2023). I worked there for the first three months when they opened it. Just try to make something good, Ukrainian style. Great opportunity to learn, but then I decide it's not enough for me, and so I just think it's good reason to start my own business again," he explains.
Drawing on his prior experience and determined to bring Ukrainian flavors to Colorado, Mukhin launched his own food business, Sunflower Ukrainian Foods. In August 2023, with the help of his wife, he set up a small tent and began selling his food at local farmers' markets. After a successful first season, he built a small trailer. "It's used for pop-ups, and my wife operates it now," he explains. "This past winter, I finished the bigger one that I use."
His menu is rooted in family traditions. "My favorite is stuffed cabbage "Golubtsi" it's something that my grandma made a lot. Basically, beef, rice, and vegetables rolled in a cabbage leaf. It's really important for me, because it's like every time when you come home you find this stuff," says Mukhin. Another signature dish, Chicken Kyiv "Cotleta Po-kyivsky", features herb butter rolled inside chicken, then deep fried and roasted. Other offerings include dumplings, stuffed pancakes, pork belly stew, and homemade sausage. Each menu item is served with pickled salad and pea soup.
Golubtsi: Steamed cabbage leaves filled with beef, onion, rice, carrot and tomato; served with pickled salad and pea soup.
Chris Byard
Looking ahead, Mukhin plans to continue growing his food truck business while exploring the possibility of developing frozen products for grocery sales. "My next step, I don't focus on restaurant. If I get a really perfect place, maybe. But right now, it's more about trying to put frozen products like cabbage roll and chicken kyiv in groceries," he says.
Sunflower Ukrainian Foods reflects Mukhin's journey from a war-torn city in Ukraine to a new life in Denver, his commitment to sharing his culinary heritage, and his resilience in rebuilding a career from scratch.
"Just try it," he says.
You can find Sunflower Ukrainian Foods regularly at the Golden, Westminster, Boulder and Highland Square farmers' markets, as well as the Cherry Creek Holiday Market. To learn more follow the truck on Instagram @sunflower.food.
