Svitlana Yakovenko is the author of Taste of Ukraine, a professional translator and an expert home cook. Svitlana spent many years seeking out and adapting the recipes of her homeland for Taste of Ukraine.

Svitlana tasted, tested, presented and photographed dishes for the book to ensure the recipes were both faithful to the culinary traditions of rural Ukraine and within the reach of home cooks around the world.

Svitlana was born in the Central region of Ukraine and moved to Sydney, Australia, in the 1990s where she studied Literature and then Law.