How St. Louis Became the Essential Bosnian Food Capital of the U.S.Like many of those Bosnians who arrived in Missouri after fleeing their war-torn homeland in the 1990s, Edo Nalic arrived as a refugee. He and his wife, chef Loryn Nalic, are the scholarly minds behind Balkan Treat Box, which has since become a St. Louis favorite.“They definitely made the biggest splash,” says James Beard Award-winner Gerard Craft, who recently opened the South American-inspired Cinder House at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis.Loryn’s former catering manager position at Pappy’s Smokehouse, the most famous barbecue spot in town, had already made her a pillar in the city’s food community. Craft adds, “If there was going to be anybody that was going to bring Bosnian food mainstream it was going to be Loryn.”While other well-established restaurants in town pull influences from different regions and periods in Bosnia’s history, Balkan Treat Box highlights the uniquely Ottoman impact on the cuisine. Comment
