Kostiantyn Mukhin and Eugenia Karkina operate Sunflower Ukrainian Foods, a thriving food truck business based in Arvada, Colorado. The couple fled their hometown of Kherson, Ukraine, in 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion. Leaving behind their parents and a newly invested restaurant that consumed their savings, they escaped with their then-5-year-old daughter, Sofiia, after enduring terrifying conditions, including Russian tanks in their streets and hiding children in underground basements for 22 hours at a time.
After an initial escape through Georgia and a harrowing journey where a line of cars they were in came under attack, the family arrived in Arvada in July 2022 through the U.S. Homeland Security program, Uniting for Ukraine. Arriving with virtually no money, Mukhin began working as a dishwasher while learning English.
In 2023, they launched Sunflower Ukrainian as a food tent, transitioned to their first trailer in 2024, and have since expanded to three food trucks that deploy to approximately 13 locations weekly, including farmers markets in Arvada, Golden, Boulder, and Westminster. They also rent commercial kitchen space for food prep and have launched a frozen food take-home business. Their menu features traditional dishes such as pork and cabbage dumplings, potato pancakes, pork belly stew, chicken Kyiv, and vegan options.
Named after the prolific sunflower fields of their home region, the business serves as a bittersweet reminder of Ukraine. Despite the ongoing tragedy of the war—including the recent death of Mukhin’s father due to a lack of medical care—the family expresses deep gratitude for the Arvada community’s warm welcome and support for freedom and democracy. Today, their daughter Sofiia is 10 years old, and the family focuses on the positive reality that they are alive and safe.
