About

Welcome to Natasha’s Kitchen! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, and together with my husband, Vadim, we’ve been passionately developing and sharing tried-and-true recipes since 2009. Over the years, we have created a trusted recipe resource beloved by millions.

In 2023, I published my debut cookbook – Natasha’s Kitchen Cookbook, which quickly became a New York Times Best-Seller for three consecutive weeks. The book is an extension of our blog with top-quality recipes you can trust.

I come from a family of fantastic cooks, and I’m here to share generations of recipes that are homey, fresh, healthy, family-friendly, authentic, and adventurous. Most importantly, our recipes are meticulously tested and guaranteed to be delicious and reliable.

Natasha holding a lasagna casserole

My Family and Heritage

My culinary journey is deeply rooted in my family’s story. My family came to the U.S. as refugees from Ukraine when I was 4 years old. They brought 5 tiny girls and had nothing but a stack of suitcases. They didn’t know the language, but they worked hard and achieved the American dream. Watch the TV News Segment about our incredible story. My parents’ resilience and passion for food inspire every recipe I create.

Natasha with family posing on steps next to a house
Natasha with her parents and 4 sisters (Natasha is the middle child)

Growing up, I was so shy that I thought no one would marry me until my husband came along and swept me off my feet (true story). Over 20 years ago, I married my wonderful husband, Vadim (who is also Ukrainian). We are blessed with two children. Every recipe that I develop is thoroughly tested and approved by each of us and is often critiqued by relatives and friends. We only post the recipes we love and make over and over.

We live in Idaho (famous for its potatoes), and we love the quieter pace of our beautiful state. We strive to walk in love and live our lives by the word of God and the life of Jesus.

Natasha and Vadim slicing vegetables in the kitchen

Professional Background

We’re so thankful to be full-time foodies and recipe developers. We’re living our dream because of you and I can’t thank you enough! My heritage and diverse professional background, including years in business and nursing, have uniquely equipped me to be the recipe developer, video creator, photographer, writer, and business owner that I am today. We set the bar high so you can expect great recipes and videos here.

The Resume

  • 2003-2007: I worked for 7 years as a business intern, which I consider my most valuable education. My boss and mentor taught me the importance of excellence in business and meticulous attention to detail, which has served me well.
  • 2007 Earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a double major in human resource management
  • 2007-2012 – Worked as a Realtor for 4 years. Fun fact: it was during my realtor days that I learned about blogging (although blogging about real estate was undeniably more boring than food)
  • 2012 Earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and worked as a Registered Nurse in Telemetry. The courses I took in nutrition, as well as being in a caring profession, made for a natural transition into serving my audience with recipes and connections that nurture body and soul.
  • Blogging since 2009 – What started as a way to share my family’s recipes and culinary journey, has turned into a vibrant community of millions of home cooks.

To summarize all of the many hats I wear – I am a wife, mom, food blogger, cookbook author, recipe developer, video creator, photographer, writer, influencer, social media boss, and entrepreneur, and I love to sing in my church choir. If I were a sandwich, I’d be a Chicken Bacon Avocado on Focaccia.

Natasha with family serving food

How I Got Started Cooking

To be completely honest, I wasn’t always excited about cooking. When I got married in 2003, it became a necessity – “must eat to live” and Mom wasn’t doing the cooking anymore. We had a lot of frozen meals and ate-out too much in the first year of our marriage. I had a free summer (and decided I would improve my cooking skills so we could live and eat healthier.

I dove into cookbook after cookbook and plundered my mom’s recipe books. I was at the library all the time bringing home piles of cookbooks; I was hooked! I even read my mother’s cooking textbook from her college days (Mom completed her culinary program when we moved to the US). I had discovered the joy of cooking. Within a few months, my husband and I each lost weight just from cooking more at home. Now I can’t stop cooking and thinking about cooking and dreaming about cooking… I was born for this!

My recipe collection continues to grow. I love to try new recipes and will share my favorites with you (like our internet-famous Meatloaf and beloved Banana Bread Recipe). I hope you enjoy this blog and find recipes that will become your family favorites as well.

Natasha with mom and daughter making pierogi

Natasha’s Kitchen Today

I started this food and family blog in 2009 as a way to share favorite recipes and events with family and friends. It has grown much larger than I could have imagined with about 1,300 recipes and about 19 million hungry visitors per month. In 2024, we passed 3,500,000 subscribers on YouTube and our channel is growing fast. We’ve been featured on:

  • Forbes
  • Good Morning America
  • ABC News
  • New York Times
  • Associated Press
  • USA Today
  • And hundreds more (see Press page for more)

My goal with Natasha’s Kitchen is for you to really discover and fall in love with cooking and find many new favorite recipes your family will love. The ingredients we use are simple and easily accessible, not overly hoity-toity. My motto: if you can read (a well-written, tested, and trusted recipe), you can cook.

Most of the recipes I share come from my mom and mother-in-law, family, friends, and my own experience in the kitchen. I am so thankful to have such amazing people in my life who generously share their rich knowledge of cooking.

It Takes a Village! I’m so blessed to partner with an incredible group of specialists who share their talents to support Natasha’s Kitchen. Whether it’s social media, email marketing, content editing, or video editing, their expertise helps everything run smoothly so I can focus on creating delicious recipes and fun videos for you. I’m so grateful for their contributions and for YOU, our amazing readers, who make it all possible.

Natasha's family prepping food in the kitchen

Natasha’s Kitchen Recipes

It’s very important to me to share trusted recipes that are reliable and work well in every kitchen and for every cooking skill level. This is why I develop and perfect all of my recipes through careful research and several rounds of testing in my own Kitchen in Idaho (elevation about 2,600 feet).

Every recipe is tested and approved by my family, and often friends, relatives, and even neighbors. All of the photography is done by myself, and I’m the one showing up in our videos. My husband edits the photos and videos (and he’s the videographer, single-handedly running 3 cameras at once).

Get Featured: If you would like your recipe featured on this site, email it to me by clicking here.

Community Guidelines: I love how this food blog has grown into a supportive cooking community – your comments, questions, tips, and success stories make every recipe better. Review my Comment Policy, then join the conversation.

Disclaimer: Per my Nutrition Disclaimer, this blog includes only my own opinions and is not professional advice. It is not intended to be dietary advice or a diet plan. Please talk to your Doctor or nutritionist for medical or dietary advice. I am not liable if you eat too many Hamburgers.

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Comments

  • peteraf
    September 25, 2013

    Just found this site. I am collecting and making dishes from Russia and Poland at the moment mostly with help from friends in those countries We have a Polish shop in the village and that helps and now I can try out some of your dishes

    Peter in West Wales

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      September 25, 2013

      Welcome Peter, I hope you’ll find some new favorites. I would love to learn more about your shop, do you have a website?

      Reply

  • Anna
    September 19, 2013

    Natasha, very happy that I found your blog. Now I never have to worry what’s for dinner, lol. I’m from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, btw

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      September 19, 2013

      It’s so nice to meet you and welcome to the blog :).

      Reply

  • Dasha
    September 12, 2013

    Natasha, I just came across your blog TODAY and I already told my friend Marinka about it. I love cooking, but I just hate having to get a hundred ingredients to make one dish. Your recipes look simple and healthy and it brings me pleasure knowing that I now have access to all these recipes, they bring me back to my happy childhood 🙂 I plan on making your lasagna and the Italian soup this weekend. I know my husband of 2 years will REALLY enjoy all the dishes you have here too. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I wish you all the best!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      September 12, 2013

      Thank Dasha! I hope you find some new favorites!! 🙂

      Reply

  • Lily
    September 10, 2013

    Yay! I’m so excited to try your recipes. I studied abroad in Russia when I was in college and lived with a wonderful woman who was such a good cook, but I wasn’t much of a cook back then, so I never bothered to get any of her recipes. I do a lot of cooking these days and have been looking for a good source of Slavic recipes that I can make with what I can get in America. Thank you for blogging!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      September 10, 2013

      Lily, welcome to the blog!! Let me know if there is anything that you remember eating there that you don’t find on my blog. I’m always happy to get new inspiration and fresh ideas! 🙂

      Reply

  • Alisa
    August 26, 2013

    Hi Natasha, I found your blog a few days ago while searching for a simple salmon recipe. Yours fit the bill and the instructions were simple and clear and the pictures were wonderful. I was born in Belarus so all the dishes ring so true for me although I never learned how to make any of them. My mom is an amazing cook but I guess it bypassed a generation. I look forward to start trying your recipes. The only problem is which one to start with!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      August 26, 2013

      Hmmmm that is a good question. There are over 350 recipes here. Let me know what you decide to try 🙂 I’m happy to recommend something if you give me a certain type or recipe you’d like to try.

      Reply

  • Evelina
    August 9, 2013

    Teperj budet esho legche i prijatnee priuchatj ljubimogo k russkoj kuhne 😉

    Reply

  • Evelina
    August 9, 2013

    Zamechateljnij blog!!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      August 9, 2013

      Thank you Evelina 🙂

      Reply

  • Chiquita
    July 30, 2013

    Your recipes all look so yummy, I can’t wait to try them out. I haven’t had much exposure to Slavic or Ukrainian cooking and came across your blog while looking for a peach preserve recipe, so if your goal is to encourage interest in Slavic cooking I think it worked. Thanks for sharing your recipes!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 30, 2013

      I hope you find some new favorite recipes here! Welcome to the site 😉

      Reply

  • Maria
    July 26, 2013

    Hi Natasha,
    since I use your site regularly, I think its time for me to make a comment! What an amazing job you have done! I love your website, its one of my favorites! Step by step instructions, beautiful pictures, delicious food and everything presented by such a kindhearted person!
    Thank you very much and may God Bless you and your lovely family! I have a feeling that some day we will be watching you on a cooking show, you definetely derserve it 🙂 A big thank you to your husband also, since he contributes so much too! Phew, now I feel much better for getting everything out in the open 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 27, 2013

      Aww, thank you Maria, this is one of the sweetest comments I received :D. May God bless you on all of your cooking adventures.

      Reply

  • Seema Faraz
    July 25, 2013

    Hey Natalia / Natasha,

    Both your names are super adorable.

    You have a great , lovely social presence too.

    I am a a very new fan of your work, and probably the 1st one from Pakistan? just assuming. hehehe

    Have a beautiful life ahead.

    Best Regards,
    Seema

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 25, 2013

      Thank you Seema. You are so sweet 🙂

      Reply

  • Olga's Flavor Factory
    July 19, 2013

    Hello Natasha! Great story you’ve got there! There have been comments from my friends about the recipes you share, so I managed to drop in to your website. I found it interesting and practical, so I would recommend this to my family and my followers. Keep it up!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 19, 2013

      Thanks Olga! 🙂

      Reply

  • Jo
    June 30, 2013

    Wow, I’m so excited that I found this website!!! I have a friend who’s from Ukraine and he’s taught me about some of the culture there and everything–I find it sooo fascinating! I love that I can even learn how to cook some of the most traditional cuisine right at my very own home! 😀 Keep it up!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      June 30, 2013

      Thanks Jo 🙂 I’m so glad you found the site too. Welcome! I hope you find some new favorites! 🙂

      Reply

  • Diana
    June 19, 2013

    Natasha, you have no idea how long I have been looking for this kind of blog. Russian food but cooked in America. Finally I found you!! I’ve searched on Google multiple times and had no luck, but today I typed “Okroshka” and finally found your blog!!
    So excited!

    Thanks and keep up good work.
    Diana

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      June 19, 2013

      Woohoo!! Welcome to the blog. I’m so happy to meet you here. I hope you find recipes that you’ll make again and again! 🙂

      Reply

  • Valentyna
    May 23, 2013

    Kirovograd. I was born in Kiev.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 23, 2013

      I’m from Krivoy Rog :).

      Reply

  • Valentyna
    May 23, 2013

    Hi!
    How are you?
    it is nice to meet you! Good luck with your cooking!
    Valentyna from Ukraine.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 23, 2013

      Welcome to the site Valentyna :). Which part of Ukraine are you from?

      Reply

  • Michael
    May 15, 2013

    Natasha,

    Interesting website…it looks fun. I stumbled across it while looking for a mushroom in sour cream sauce recipe. My grandfather was born in Poland, but grew up in Russia many, many years ago. When he was alive, he instilled in me a love for cooking and for Polish food. We had things like chlodnik, pierogies, and babka on many occasions…I’m interested to see how Russian and Ukrainian food compares to some of the things I enjoyed as a kid.

    Your name is easy. Oh the trouble my wife and I had (and sometimes still do) explaining the pronunciation and spelling of our daughter Nastassja’s name, even among family. I haven’t checked through too many recipes yet, but I’ll be coming back and looking at more. Could you include some simple substitutes with your recipes? My family and I are missionaries in Cuenca, Ecuador, and not every spice/food is easy to find One example is the impossibility of finding dill, a disaster for me, especially when trying to cook Polish food…we had to have some freeze-dried dill sent.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 15, 2013

      Hi Michael thanks for writing in! I’m not sure what a good substitute for dill would be, maybe try some dried parsley but it really depends on the recipe.

      Reply

  • Bernard
    May 7, 2013

    Hi Natasha,

    My wife and I live in Grass Valley, CA , and we are members of our local Baptist church. We will be going on our first Christian Evangelical Mission to western Ukraine in late June. It will be a short-term mission, a 12-day trip to visit and evangelize locals who do not know Jesus. We have never been on any type of Christian mission before, and God has called on us for this one. Having never left the U.S. before, we are sure that we will be in for an ‘education’.

    I myself am just finishing up the “Perspectives’ course on the World Mission Movement. The final night of this course will involve bringing an ‘international’ food dish for the celebratory pot luck dinner. Because my wife and I will be going to Ukraine, I would like your suggestion(s) for a Ukrainian dish for the pot luck. I myself am of Polish heritage, so I am familiar with Polish food.

    In God’s Love, Bernie

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 7, 2013

      Are you looking for a main dish? salad? dessert? drink?

      Reply

  • oksana
    May 4, 2013

    btw.. thank you for posting the RECIPE BOX! Im always reminding myself I need to print the recipes. But this way I can just save them in there until I have a chance to print them and they will be in one spot! THANKS :):)

    Reply

  • Molly
    March 31, 2013

    Hi, Natasha. Happy to have found your site. My 2 older child are adopted from Ukraine and my youngest is adopted from Russia. I just finished our Paska, but I’m wishing I had made your recipe instead! I’m very excited to try some of your Slavic-inspired recipes and see what my kids think.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 31, 2013

      I hope they love the recipes and that the recipes are comfort food for them 🙂

      Reply

  • Angee
    March 28, 2013

    Natasha, I discovered your website a while ago, really enjoyed your recipes, very interesting and fun. Please continue to increase your recipes list, they are the best! I’m from post Soviet Union,love Russian and Ukrainian food. I lived couple years in Donetsk when I was 3years old.
    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 28, 2013

      Angee, I’m afraid I have to agree with you about Russian and Ukrainian food being the best 😉 Thank you so much!

      Reply

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