Teenage Ukrainian refugee secures job at top Greater Manchester restaurant

A teenager fleeing the war in Ukraine has landed himself a job at one of Greater Manchester’s top Italian restaurants.

Sixteen-year-old Misha Chumak and his mother Yuliia were forced to abandon their home in Kyiv when the Russian invasion began almost four months ago.

The pair have since found a temporary home in the North West thanks to the Manchester Homes for Ukraine scheme, which found them their hosts, Zoe and Martyn Cohen.

While they haven’t been in the UK for long, Misha already has hopes to sit his GCSE’s next year before starting an apprenticeship in IT.

ITV News

And to fund his studies, the teenager has now landed himself a job as a waiter at San Carlo Fiorentina in Hale Barns, one of the regions top Italian restaurants.

Misha told ITV News that the restaurant staff have been very welcoming, explaining: “I felt like I’ve been working here for a while.

“They taught me how to serve and how to manage the orders and everything.”

Mauro Visinoni, regional manager of San Carlo, has sang Misha’s praises, saying: “When we first met Misha, we were blown away by his positive attitude.

“He’s a hard worker, he’s very polite, very confident and we’re really happy with the way he is.”

ITV News

Since Misha’s arrival, four other Ukrainian refugees have found work at the restaurant thanks to Steph Ashworth, who has used her links to help those fleeing the war get back on their feet.

Steph told ITV: “My son works at San Carlo and he’s quite proud of what we are achieving as a group.

“He mentioned it to the restaurant manager and the kitchen manager, and they just came and said, ‘if you’ve got any people that need work, absolutely they can come here.'”

Misha is making the most of his opportunities in the North West, though hopes the violence in his home country will end soon so he can return to his father, who stayed behind to fight the war.