Yuleglo Baking Co. is owned by two sisters, one in Charlotte, the other in Washington, D.C. Photo courtesy of Yuleglo

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods …” –James Beard

Fresh-baked bread was always a part of Yulia Pisarskiy’s life, but the pandemic turned it into a living — at least, partially. 

In 1995, at the age of nine, Pisarskiy and her family packed up and left Ukraine for the U.S.A. Lexington, Ky., to be exact, to stay with relatives. Three years later, they moved again to Charlotte. As the Pisarskiy family acclimated to the American lifestyle, store-bought bread was never part of the picture.

“I grew up with a wonderful mom,” Pisarskiy says. “Even after we moved to the U.S., she insisted on baking from scratch and I learned a lot watching her.”

The years rolled by and Pisarskiy discovered she had a talent for all things visual: graphic design, fashion, and photography in particular. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Savannah College of Art & Design and set off on a creative career, currently as an Art Director for a Charlotte corporation.

Then, like the rest of us, along came Covid — and a lot of downtime.

Her sister, Gloria, now in Washington, D.C., taught her the ins and outs of making sourdough bread. That relit the spark created by her mother. Pisarskiy began baking in earnest, first for herself and then as gifts. Forward to December 2021. 

“I made bread for friends and family as Christmas gifts,” Pisarskiy says. “It all snowballed from there. My aunt was the first to offer paying me every week to bake her bread, followed by my brothers and sisters, and then some of my friends. It suddenly occurred to me, ‘I already have a website, why not add a page?’”

And Yuleglo Baking Co. was born. 

Named for the two sisters, Yuleglo Baking Co. crafts artisan style sourdough bread, made in small batches along with a short list of select and varying baked goods, which have included babkas, cinnamon rolls, scones, and more. “We’re casually adding options,” Yulia says.

It is a two-city “pick-up only” operation, with Yulia in Charlotte and Gloria in our nation’s capital. Both operate the same way. Lists are published weekly via Instagram (@yuleglo) and you DM your preferences. If there is availability, you will be contacted to arrange payment and schedule a pick up time. You can also order bread only using the form on their website (yuleglo.com).

With the current focus on Ukraine, and the outpouring of support for all things Ukrainian, availability is getting harder. 

While there is no direct connection to Yuleglo pick up sales and supporting Ukrainian Relief efforts, Yulia does personally donate to a select organizations as well as take part in relief fundraisers put on by the Ukrainian community —- most recently one held at Church of New Hope in Matthews. The plan is for one fundraiser per month. (We’ll keep you posted on new relief events as we learn them.)

“When people come to pick up their orders, they ask if I still have family in Ukraine (yes, I do),” Pisarskiy says. “This helps to bridge the gap in their minds from watching the news coverage of the invasion of a free country happening far away and the suffering that it is causing millions of people, to ‘Wow, this is impacting the lives of people in my neighborhood.’ It makes it personal.”