Very few restaurants in Kyiv have been around for over a decade, and Shalena Mama is one of them.
But everything comes to an end: Shalena Mama, a rock’n’roll-themed cafe next to Taras Shevchenko Park, will close on June 28 after 12 years.
The cafe staff says that the owners don’t disclose the reason behind the decision.
Standing on 4A Tereshchenkivska Street, in a small standalone building across from the busy Shevchenko Park, Shalena Mama (Crazy Mama) has offered drinks and simple food at moderate prices. Many will remember it for its distinctive design, a blend of classic American diner and a cheap Ukrainian cafe, with rock ‘n’ roll posters and portraits of Mick Jagger covering the walls.
The cafe appealed to the students of the nearby Shevchenko National University and to the party-goers who valued Shalena Mama for its 24/7 schedule.
Those who want to say goodbye to Shalena Mama may find it hard to get in: An announcement of the near shutdown brought the cafe an influx of customers looking to have the last meal in what many of them call “an iconic place.” The tables are booked up to the very last day.
Maksym Serdiuk, the chief editor of Muzmapa music website, says he came to Shalena Mama for the first time two or three years ago with a former girlfriend.
“Now, when café is closing we got in touch with that girl and are planning to go there together.” He says this place has always been quiet, cozy but somehow very energetic.
He says this place has always been quiet, cozy but somehow very energetic.
Alex Corolyov from Kyiv has seen the cafe in a different color.
“Shalena Mama is all about day and night parties, dances on tables and broken plates. It was always a meeting place on Friday or Saturday night.”
But customers aren’t the only ones to be missing Shalena Mama. The restaurant’s staff is sad, too.
As she is talking to the Kyiv Post, the cafe’s administrator Yulia Kovalchuk points at the visitors at the tables and tells a story about each of them. They’re all regulars.
“This is Dmytro Stus, CEO of Shevchenko National Museum and son of Ukrainian writer Vasyl Stus,” she says, pointing at a man eating lunch. “He used to come to us every day, now he comes only about once a week.”
Kovalchuk then turns to a young blond woman at a different table.
“She is a student and comes to us every day right after classes to order lunch and black coffee,” she says.
Kovalchuk has been working in Shalena Mama for 12 years, since the cafe’s opening. In less than a week, she will close the restaurant’s doors to never open them again.
She says she has never got bored with her job, even after 12 years.
“I like this café not because it’s so familiar, not because it’s a habit. I like it because of its vibe,” Kovalchuk says. “Some of our clients came to us for the first time 10 years ago while being students. Now they would bring their children and will be surprised to discover I am still here.”
Rock ‘n’ roll generation
Asked how she feels about Shalena Mama coming to an end, Kovalchuk takes a short pause.
“I am sad,” she says simply.
Her husband also works in Shalena Mama and shares the sorrow.
“Some people would come to us and fall in love with the place. Some of them would then start working here,” she says with a smile and nods at a waitress with tattooed arms near the counter.
“The young generation doesn’t always understand what rock ‘n’ roll is,” Kovalchuk proceeds. “But those who do eventually feel somehow attached to Shalena Mama.”
The café is still full of photos of the Rolling Stones band, with old tickets to their shows placed under the glass on the bar counter. Kovalchuk hopes that the next owners won’t throw those away.
Kuzma Cheltsov has been a waiter in Shalena Mama for three years. Like Kovalchuk, he knows regular guests by heart.
“This man,” he nods at a customer, “came to us for the first time in 2004. He hadn’t been here for a couple of years but today ordered our best offer – apple pie, and said he remembered how good it was.”
Kovalchuk says they didn’t expect such a fuss around Shalena Mama’s shutdown and wanted to go away quietly.
“The owners don’t want to make a statement about the closure of Shalena Mama,” Kovalchuk says. “I believe the worst thing to do now is to guess why it is happening, or even worse, to make something up. They have a right for this decision. All we can do is obey.”
Shalena Mama continues to work 24/7 until June 28.
Shalena Mama. 4A Tereshchenkivska St. Open 24/7 until June 28. +38-063-705-8131
