Oral History >Local People

The Kudla Family Maria's Restaurant, Amherstburg

Maria's Restaurant, located in historic Amherstburg and still serving up some of the best cabbage rolls this side of the Atlantic, can trace its roots back to a young Ukrainian couple starting up a new life in this small southwestern Ontario town. Maria and Volodymyr Kudla, both born in Bozhykiv, a small village in western Ukraine, lived through some of the most tumultuous times of that country's, and indeed the world's, history. Married in May of 1942, they became parents when their son, Myroslav, was born in 1943.

In June of 1944 Maria and Volodymyr's life changed forever. The front line was about to go right through the Bozhykiv and the occupying German army ordered the village to be evacuated. Along with other family members, the young family packed their belongings into a cart, hitched up the horse and moved west, finally ending up in a Displaced Persons Camp in Bayreuth, Germany.

Even after the war ended they were still unsure of their fate. But one day they received notice that Alex Taskey, formerly of Bozhykiv and now living in Amherstburg, and his wife Anna would sponsor them to Canada. The couple would, in turn, work on their farm in return for the sponsorship. And so in 1948, after a long voyage by boat, Maria, Volodymyr and son Myroslav disembarked from their ship in Quebec City, boarded a train for Windsor and finally made the car trip down to Amherstburg. In their first years in Canada, the couple worked as many jobs as they could muster the strength for to establish themselves in their new country: farm hands, bakery workers, auto parts manufacturers, factory jobs. (As an aside, Maria was the first woman in Amherstburg to drive a tractor full of tomatoes to the Aylmer Canning Factory in town).

It didn’t take them long to realize that Canada was full of opportunity. Dreams could become reality in this country. Shortly after the birth of their first daughter Lida, Maria and Volodymyr bought a small snack bar and variety store in 1957 which developed into an Amherstburg institution: Maria's Restaurant. Serving up some of the best home made soup the town had ever tasted, the restaurant was known for its home cooking. Maria ran the kitchen. Volodymyr, at first juggling the business with his factory job, eventually made the restaurant his full time career.

Tragedy struck the family in 1958 when son Myroslav died of a benign brain tumour. Despite such a great personal loss, Maria and Volodymyr continued to build their new life. As the snack bar evolved into a family restaurant, second daughter Zirka was born. With the daughters now recruited into assistance, this truly was a family run operation. Maria's Restaurant developed into an Amhersburg institution. A loyal customer base included locals, residents of Essex Country, Americans from nearby Michigan and even some patrons from hundreds of miles away who regularly dropped by when they were in town. While, as they say, everything was good, the restaurant was most renowned for, to quote customers, "Maria’s million dollar smiles".

After 27 years of serving the residents of Amherstburg and customers from outside the town, Maria and Volodymyr retired in 1984, selling the business to the son of a former employee. In the early days, the new owner often sought Maria's advice for the perfect coleslaw and for duplicating the famous cabbage rolls. Throughout their life, Maria and Vololdymyr were active members of the Windsor and Amherstburg Ukrainian-Canadian communities Volodymyr Kudla passed away in June of 1985. Maria's Restaurant continues to be a family run Amherstburg landmark offering delectable home style cooking.