Olha Franko

Franko was born on 24 July 1896.[1] She studied culinary cuisine at the Higher School of Agriculture in Vienna for two years.[2]

Franko wrote Practical Kitchen (практична кухня), published in 1929 in Kolomyia, a book focused on Galician recipes, although it also has about 20% Ukrainian recipes. It was said to be one of the first recipe books about Ukrainian cuisine.[3][4] The book was reprinted in 1991 retitled Practical Cuisine,[3][5] and again in 2019 with a foreword by Marianna Dushar.[6] It contained recipes focused on traditional dishes made from local ingredients.[6]

In 1937, Franko published her second book National Cuisine focused on the nutritional aspects of cooking.[2]

In her book, Franko to encouraged housewives to demand food quality inspections from local authorities.[2]

Franko is from the famous Bilevych family.[5] After the death of his first wife (Kamenyar-Moses) she married Petro Franko, becoming the daughter-in-law of Ukrainian activist and poet Ivan Franko.[3][5]

Olha Franko is often confused with her mother in law, as both have exactly the same name. Informally they went by "junior" and "senior" to avoid confusion.[5]

Franko-Halushchak family tomb. Lychakiv Cemetery, field No. 69.

In 1987, Franko died at the age of 91.[3] Although her husband had been killed in 1941, she never learned of his fate.[2]