Tucked away within the again nook of a Cheviot Hills strip mall on Overland Avenue, Aroma Café sits because it has for 20 years – shiny and welcoming. On any day of the week, unhurried patrons enjoyment of Turkish espresso served in small brass cezve pots, recent bread rolls, grilled sausages and different candy and savory dishes. As LA's solely Bosnian restaurant, Aroma Café focuses on delicacies that speaks broadly to former Yugoslav international locations corresponding to Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Slovenia, in addition to the encircling areas in Turkey and Greece. For a lot of Southeast Europeans dwelling on this metropolis, the small restaurant has supplied flavors and an expertise that brings them nearer to residence.

“We began cooking as we used to cook dinner at residence,” says Amra Slipac, who opened the restaurant in 2004 together with her husband, Adem, who died in 2021.

A portrait of Amra Slipac wearing black-rimmed glasses and a pink shirt in the dining room at Aroma Cafe.

Amra Slipac.

An orange painted room with wooden chairs and tables in Aroma Café.

The eating room.

A fridge case full of imported goods for sale at Aroma Cafe.

Imported items on the market.

Shelves lined with prepackaged imported food for sale at Aroma Cafe.

Meals part.

Contained in the orange stucco inside of the self-anointed “Mediterranean gastronomy”, a small deli stocked with imported salami and cheeses, together with a minimarket devoted to Balkan delicacies corresponding to canned pate and large wafer sheets, encompass a handful of tables within the eating space of ​​one room. Lunchtime could be quieter, whereas evenings are sometimes busy with tables put collectively to accommodate bigger, multigenerational gatherings. On the patio outdoors, the environment is full of life and relaxed. Regardless of the thrill of the encircling metropolis, patrons may get pleasure from an prolonged sport of chess or a espresso break.

The Slipacs arrived in Los Angeles with their two kids in 1996, after years of battle and rift of their homeland of Bosnia. In 1992, because the forcibly unified republics of Yugoslavia broke up alongside ethnic strains with the autumn of communism, the following Bosnian battle displaced the Slipacs from their residence in Banja Luka. They moved to the Balkan Peninsula and the Czech Republic as refugees within the years that adopted earlier than coming to Los Angeles after the Dayton accords signed by President Clinton that granted Bosnians asylum in america. , based on US Census knowledge. Related populations of Croats and Serbs, who arrived after being displaced by the battle just like the Silpacs, additionally name LA residence.

Silpac says it was at all times Adem's dream to open a restaurant, even earlier than settling in LA. In opening the Aroma Café, he imagined a spot the place folks of various cultures from everywhere in the former Yugoslavia may benefit from the meals of the Balkans. Regardless of the spiritual and political variations that divide the international locations, the meals of the Balkans could be very comparable throughout borders. “From north to south to east to west, sarma (stuffed cabbage) is sarma, ćevapi (sausage) is ćevapi,” says Silpac.

A layered sandwich with avocado and vegetables on toast on a white plate with an orange painted background at Aroma Cafe.

Vegetable sandwich.

A white plate on a wooden surface with Lepinja bread at Aroma Cafe.

Good bread.

A white plate containing a pljeskavica (Serbian burger) with beef patty, lettuce, cheese, tomato slices on toast at Aroma Cafe.

Pljeskavica (Serbian burger).

A bowl full of tufahije (smoked apple with walnuts and whipped cream) at Aroma Cafe.

Tufahije (poached apple with walnuts and whipped cream).

After working numerous jobs throughout their early years in Los Angeles—cleansing homes, babysitting, and offering supply providers—the couple finally acquired the correct permits to cook dinner and serve meals outdoors their residence. They’d entrusted their kids, Senita and Eli, who had began studying English in school, to translate the completely different types that the method required. The Silpacs operated the enterprise from their residence in Sawtelle for seven years, connecting with and serving the communities of the previous Yugoslavia that grew up within the South.

In 2004, after their kids completed highschool and school, opening a everlasting location appeared like a pure step for the Silpacs. The couple may put together meals within the kitchen, whereas Senita and Eli may assist work on the entrance of the home. “We survived as a result of folks from our nation, from throughout ex-Yugoslavia, began coming. And one after the other, we had prospects,” says Silpac.

Aroma Café's menu is strong. Silpac realized easy methods to make his freshly baked lepinja from an Albanian lady he met when the household was a refugee within the Czech Republic. The spherical baggage, which seem like pita however are softer like ciabatta, are versatile vessels prepared to carry and transport the various flavors of the dishes they accompany. The most well-liked is ćevapi, the nationwide dish of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which consists of grilled skinless meat sausage. Whether or not served with ćevapi, comforting stews or vegetable plates, bread enhances all tasty dishes and serves as a tangible expression of the baker's journey.

A spread of Bosnian dishes on a table including sandwiches, coffee and bread at Aroma Cafe.

“We began cooking the best way we used to cook dinner at residence,” says Amra Slipac, who opened Aroma Café in 2004.

By sharing their household recipes, the Slipacs solid a neighborhood of native Southeastern Europeans and launched some Angelenos to Bosnian and Balkan delicacies for the primary time. Its attain expanded when beloved meals critic Jonathan Gold wrote in regards to the homegrown gem, hidden in plain sight: Gold proclaimed its pljeskavica (Serbian burger) one of many 10 finest dishes of 2005 and considered one of 10 finest burgers in LA in 2013. A burger is little greater than a grilled beef patty seasoned with salt and pepper. Not like the basic American hamburger, pljeskavica extends out in diameter moderately than in top, and comes between lepinja with a small mountain of diced uncooked onions; a “connoisseur” model contains lettuce, tomato and Greek cheese.

Diners typically overlook the modestly named “veggie sandwich,” with a marinated melange of grilled broccoli, zucchini, onion, and pepper. Charred lemon greens arrive stuffed between a smooth disk of toasted lepinja slathered in a whipped feta and bitter cream. A easy dish of sliced ​​tomatoes with olives, feta, herbs and olive oil is accessible all year long, however is extra distinctive throughout the summer season months. Grilled cucumbers with garlic tossed in vinegar and garnished with parsley are additionally fashionable. For dessert, tufahije – a poached apple full of nuts and topped with whipped cream – is a comforting and distinctly Bosnian specialty. Baklava and hurmašice, pastries soaked in syrup, are so noteworthy.

After 20 years of serving the neighborhood, Aroma Café has constructed a fierce legion of consumers. It continues to be a spot the place the folks of the Balkans can benefit from the meals of their homelands, no matter completely different ideologies and identities. Though Adem's household and the Aroma Cafe neighborhood nonetheless mourn his dying, Silpac and his workers proceed his dream. “I'm so pleased with my husband and my household,” she says. “We opened [Aroma]and other people like us.”

Fragrant espresso is situated at 2530 Overland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90064, and is open each day from 11 am to 10 pm.

An orange wall filled with framed photos and news clippings at Aroma Cafe.

The exterior of Aroma Cafe with white stucco facade and gold capital letters.

2530 Overland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90064

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