Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
The team behind the nationally acclaimed Balkan Treat Box have announced they are partnering with Rolling Ridge Nursery to open a second concept early next year: Telva at the Ridge.
This will be the second concept from the family-owned Balkan Treat Box group. BTB started as food truck in 2017 by Loryn and Edo Nalic. A brick-and-mortar location opened in Webster Groves in 2019 and was named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants.
Photo by Spencer Pernikoff
The cafe, located next to Rolling Ridge Nursery, will serve fresh wood-fire roasted coffee and will resemble brew-to-order style coffee served in the Balkan regions of Bosnia, Turkey, and Greece. For the coffee program, each cup will be brewed individually in a small copper pot (known as a džezva) producing a strong, bold flavor and served with sugar cubes. (The name Telva refers to the coffee sediment at the bottom of the cup, which is said to tell the drinker's fortune.)
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Photo by Spencer Pernikoff
Sloppy Mustafa
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Photo by Spencer Pernikoff
Turkish egg
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Photo by Spencer Pernikoff
Baklava yogurt parfait
Similarly, the food will be regionally inspired with menu items such as the Sloppy Mustafa (a moussaka version of a Sloppy Joe), a baklava yogurt parfait, and rotating breakfast pastries. There will also be soup, salads, sandwiches, and more items to be announced. The café will have a fast-casual atmosphere with limited seating and an emphasis on to-go orders.
“This is big for our family,” said chef-owner Loryn Nalic in a release. “We’ve always talked about opening a café that serves coffee in the style that you would find in the Balkan region from Bosnian, Turkey, and Greece. We live in Webster Groves, and when we heard the Rolling Ridge team was looking to open a café space, we felt that our team was ready to take on the project.”
In addition to the café will be a new event space called The Ridge Room. The space can accommodate up to 60 people and will feature approachable menus of family-style American fare suitable for private parties, business luncheons, and bridal and baby showers. The event space will become available to the public beginning in March 2023 with booking available through Disco!
Photo by Spencer Pernikoff
Emir, Erna and Zara Nalic; Edo and Loryn Nalic; with Fadil and Zehta Nalic, Edo and Emir’s parents
Joining Loryn and Edo as co-owners of both businesses are Edo’s brother and sister-in-law, Emir and Erna Nalic. Edo’s parents, Fadil and Zehta, will also be actively involved in the restaurants as they have both been granted permanent resident status in the U.S.
“We have received such overwhelming support from the community at Balkan Treat Box, and we look forward to extending that hospitality to Telva at The Ridge,” said Loryn.
