How Balkans in Chicago Keep Tradition Alive Through Food

In every Balkan home, the table is more than a place to eat. It’s where stories are told, holidays are celebrated, and memories are passed down from one generation to the next. For the Balkan community in Chicago, thousands of miles away from Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Albania, food has become one of the most powerful ways to stay connected to home.

Walk into a Serbian bakery in La Grange, a small specialty store on the Northwest Side, or a family kitchen in the suburbs, and you’ll see the same thing: trays of homemade pastries, simmering pots on the stove, and people gathering around food that tastes like childhood. In a busy city where life moves fast, these flavors slow everything down and bring everyone back to their roots.

At Balkan Bakery, we see this every day. Guests come in speaking English, Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian, or a mix of all three, and they all light up the same way when they see familiar cakes, cookies, and breads. For many, this is how they keep tradition alive—one bite at a time.

The Taste of Home in a New City

For Balkans who moved to Chicago, the first shock is often the distance from family. The second is the food. You can find almost anything in this city, but there’s a special kind of comfort that only comes from the dishes you grew up with: burek and jogurt, sarma, ćevapi, baklava, Bajadera, Jaffa, Kinder cake, and so much more.

Food becomes a bridge between the old world and the new.

Parents who left the Balkans years ago bring their children to Balkan bakeries and specialty stores to show them what they ate growing up. They point to familiar brands on the shelves—Plazma, Smoki, Vegeta, Argeta, Milka—and say, “This is what Baba used to buy,” or “We had this every New Year’s.”

When they order a slice of Kinder cake or Jaffa cake, it’s not just dessert. It’s a way of saying, “This is where you come from. This is part of who you are.”

Holidays That Still Smell Like Home

If you want to see how deeply food keeps tradition alive, look at the holidays.

For many Balkan families in Chicago, Christmas, Easter, and Slava still follow the same rhythm they did back home. The church services, the gatherings, the special dishes on the table—it all matters. Even if the kids speak more English than Serbian, the food speaks a language everyone understands.

On Slava, the family patron saint’s day, you’ll still find:

• Slava bread carefully prepared and decorated

• Žito (koljivo) made with patience and respect

• Trays of Bajadera, vanilice, and other small cookies offered to every guest

At Christmas and Easter, homes fill with the smell of roasted meats, fresh bread, and layered cakes. In Chicago, where winter can feel long and gray, these celebrations bring warmth and color. The recipes might be adapted slightly for American ovens or local ingredients, but the heart of each dish stays the same.

Bakeries and Specialty Stores as Community Hubs

Balkan bakeries and specialty stores in Chicagoland are more than places to shop. They are community hubs. People don’t just come in for bread or cake—they come in to speak their language, hear familiar music, and feel understood.

At Balkan Bakery, we see grandparents bringing their grandchildren for a slice of Kinder cake, couples picking up pastries for a Sunday lunch, and families ordering custom cakes that blend old traditions with new celebrations. A birthday cake might say “Happy Birthday” in English and “Srećan rođendan” in Serbian, side by side.

In the aisles of a Balkan specialty store, people chat about:

• Which brand of ajvar tastes closest to the one from back home

• Where to find the best ćevapi in Chicago

• Who still makes pita and burek “the old way”

These small conversations keep culture alive just as much as the food itself.

Teaching the Next Generation Through Recipes

One of the most beautiful ways Balkans in Chicago keep tradition alive is by teaching the next generation to cook and bake.

A grandmother might stand in a suburban kitchen, showing her granddaughter how to roll out dough for pita or how thin the layers for baklava should be. A father might grill ćevapi in the backyard, explaining how his own father did it back in Sarajevo or Belgrade.

The recipes are rarely written down exactly. They’re passed on through phrases like “a little more flour,” “until it feels right,” and “you’ll know when it’s ready.” But in those moments, something more important than measurements is being shared:

• Patience

• Pride

• A sense of identity

Even if the kids grow up speaking English at school and living a busy American life, they will always remember how their home smelled on Sunday mornings, or how the table looked at Easter, or how it felt to sneak a piece of cake before guests arrived.

Blending Old Traditions With New Lives

Chicago life brings new habits and new flavors, but the Balkan community has a special way of blending the two.

You might see:

• A Slava table with traditional dishes next to a modern salad or American-style appetizer

• A birthday party with Balkan music and a Kinder cake from a local Serbian bakery in La Grange

• A Thanksgiving dinner that includes turkey and stuffing alongside sarma or pita

Instead of choosing between “Balkan” and “American,” many families simply do both. The result is a richer, more layered way of living—one where kids grow up comfortable in two cultures, and food helps them move between them with ease.

Why Food Matters So Much

For Balkans in Chicago, food is more than nostalgia. It’s a way of staying grounded.

When life gets busy, when work is stressful, or when the distance from family back home feels especially heavy, a familiar dish can be incredibly comforting. A slice of Kinder cake, a plate of ćevapi, or a warm piece of burek can make a cold Chicago day feel a little more like home.

Food also creates community. When people share recipes, bring homemade dishes to gatherings, or recommend their favorite Balkan bakery near Chicago, they’re building connections that go beyond geography. They’re saying, “We’re in this together. We may be far from home, but we carry it with us.”

Balkan Bakery’s Place in This Story

At Balkan Bakery in La Grange, we feel honored to be part of this tradition. Every day, we bake the cakes, cookies, and pastries that so many people grew up with:

• Kinder cake that tastes like childhood

• Jaffa slices that remind guests of European cafés

• Bajadera that bring back memories of holidays and special occasions

We also welcome guests who are discovering Balkan desserts for the first time. They might come in curious and leave with a new favorite cake, a bag of imported treats, and a deeper appreciation for the flavors of the Balkans.

In a city as big and diverse as Chicago, it means a lot to know that a small bakery can help keep culture alive. Every order, every celebration cake, every Sunday morning pastry box is part of a larger story: how Balkans in Chicago keep tradition alive through food, family, and community.

A Tradition That Lives On

As new generations grow up, traditions will naturally change and evolve. But as long as there is a table to gather around and food that carries the flavors of home, Balkan culture will stay strong in Chicago.

From small apartments in the city to family homes in the suburbs, from church gatherings to birthday parties, and from specialty stores to Serbian bakeries in La Grange, the story is the same:

Food keeps memories alive. Food keeps families close. Food keeps tradition going, no matter how far from home you are.

And as long as there are people who crave burek, sarma, Bajadera, and Kinder cake in Chicagoland, the taste of the Balkans will always have a place here.

Visit Balkan Bakery and Taste the Tradition

If you’re part of the Balkan community in Chicago—or simply curious about authentic Balkan desserts and pastries—we’d love to welcome you to Balkan Bakery in La Grange. Stop in for a slice of Kinder cake, a box of mixed pastries, or your favorite imported treats, and bring a little taste of home to your table.

Plan your next family gathering, Slava, or celebration with us, and let our cakes and pastries help you keep tradition alive, one bite at a time.