Our Story
Small Family, Big Dreams
“We’ve always wanted to have our own small business. We dreamt of opening a cute and cozy coffee shop. But our dreams remained just that, dreams. We were always too busy.
When the pandemic started, we suddenly found ourselves with a lot of time on our hands. We took the time to refresh and reprioritize what matters to us most. The lockdowns really affected our income. We couldn’t just sit there. And so we thought maybe now we could open our coffee shop? Maybe now it was time? But that dream was shattered just as quickly with province-wide restrictions on customer-serving businesses.
And then we had a thought…”Why not open a grocery store?” We have experience in the trade business and many of our friends and family have connections to the industry. When we made this decision, we started looking for a place right away, calling up our connections and looking for investors. All the pieces fit together. “You just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other”, as the old Eastern European proverb says.
— Alyona and Oleg Chyzhevsky, Proud Owners of Duke Fine Foods™
Our Values
Supporting long standing traditions.
Founded in Ottawa in 2021, Duke Fine Foods™ transforms tradition into affordable luxuries within arms reach. Oleg and Alyona founded the shop to bring a taste of home to many diverse cultures in Ottawa and to invite Canadians to explore the stunning variety of European cuisine.
With that, we value:
• Trust
• Quality
• Constant Improvement
• High-End
• Authenticity
A Taste of Home
Ukraine
There are so many people who immigrated to Ottawa from Ukraine and we wanted to make them feel welcome. We are proud to offer Ukrainian salo, kolbasa, vareniki, pies, Kiev cake, sweets and coffee from Lviv, kvas.
Germany
Enjoy traditional German meats and sausages right here in Ottawa and connect with your heritage. Bratwurst, sauerkraut, German salami, weisswurst, suelzwurst, marzipan, chocolate, potato dumplings, Bavarian mustard.
Traditional Products
Enjoy delicious dairy products like tvorog and kefir, fermented sauerkraut, pickled preserves like pickles, mushrooms, tomatoes, and eggs. Sample pelmeni and vareniki with delicious creamy sour cream. Indulge in black or red caviar and enjoy smoked cheese on the side.
Eastern Europe
Indulge in traditional tea drinking ceremonies with a huge selection of Eastern European teas, from rosehip and chamomile to bergamot and black tea. Enjoy European chocolates, truffles, and candies, and introduce your culture to your Canadian friends. We will also have products from the Balkans and Israel.
Canada
Support local with organic dairy from local Ottawa farms, fresh-farm milk, and heavy cream. We work with local suppliers to ensure we are supporting our local economy too.