An homage to ISU's cherry pies, Ukrainian bakery delights RAGBRAI with more than 3,000 treats
If Ames were known for a dessert, it would likely be cherry pie. A longstanding tradition of VEISHEA, a now-defunct Iowa State celebration, mini cherry pies made on campus were a local and statewide favorite.
An Ames home-based bakery, Piece & Freedom, has put its own spin on the traditional treat.
Slices of “Shredded Cherry Tart” were among the 3,100 items offered by the Ukrainian-owned business as the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa rolled into Brookside Park Tuesday in Ames.
The tarts are anchored by shortbread dough wrapped around a cherry jam.
The desserts are an ode to the Ames’ history with cherry pies, bakery co-owner Shalika Khindurangala, said Tuesday morning.
Cherries are also an homage to the Khindurangalas’ home country. Shalika left Kyiv, Ukraine in 2010 to study at Iowa State, but she didn't leave her love for authentic Ukrainian desserts behind.
“I like everything with cherry. It makes me feel both homes — Ames because cherry pies go back to VEISHEA, and the cherries in Ukraine are popular treats,” Shalika said. “Everyone who has a country house separate from their home has a cherry tree.”
Even her jewelry choice Tuesday showed Shalika's love for the juicy fruit, with life-sized cherry earrings dangling from her ears on makeshift stems.
Piece & Freedom is a regular vendor at the Ames Main Street Farmers’ Markets on Saturday mornings this summer.
Shalika's brother, Lalit, who co-own's the bakery with his sister, left Ukraine to join her at Iowa State in 2013.
More than a simple nod to their home country
When Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, the Khindurangalas started a nonprofit called Iowans for Ukrainians. They have sent more than $50,000 to Ukraine for small and medium size projects. They know exactly where the money is being used, whether it’s buying new boots for 10 soldiers or purchasing a specific vehicle for a brigade.
Iowans for Ukrainians has established two important goals, to support soldiers displaced in war-torn Ukraine and to also help native Ukrainians start a new life in Iowa. Shalika and Lalit's parents and siblings still live in their native homeland, and much of the early funding went to supplies for soldiers and evacuating families. Shalika hosted a bake sale in her garage last spring, distributing many of their native deserts. The response was impressive, and motivated Shalika and her Partner Devon to hold another bake sale a few weeks later in Des Moines.
The organization continued to grow, funding projects to keep Ukraians warm during the war and they also sent 100 care packages to elderly citizens.
More info can be found on the Iowans for Ukrainians Facebook page.
Continuing a tradition stateside
Other popular menu items at Peace & Freedom include a traditional Ukrainian honey cake called medovyk. It features several layers of moist honey sponge cake alternating with Chantilly cream.
Italian blueberry ricotta cake and chocolate orange pie rounded out the sweet options on Tuesday's menu. Savory items included cheese boats, which are fluffy dough filled with cheese, garlic and fresh dill, another Ukrainian staple. Spinach crepes with beef and spinach swirls of buttery, flaky puff pastry were also available.
One of Shalika’s goals for Piece & Freedom is to expand the palates of her customers to include Ukrainian flavors as well as other European tastes.
“I think people in Ames like to learn about other cultures,” she said. “It’s a very diverse community.”
Lalit pointed out that a difference between American and Ukrainian desserts is that the latter don’t rely as heavily on sugar for sweetening.
“We rely more on natural ingredients like honey and fruit,” he said.
Ronna Faaborg is a reporter for the Ames Tribune. Reach her at rlawless@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Ukrainian-owned bakery in Ames honors RAGBRAI's joy for cherry pies
