SPEAKER_00 0:00

So obviously we've seen the videos, but I just want to like get your I want to get your take on like walking up there. Were you just in complete shock?

SPEAKER_01 0:10

What was Yeah, first of all, I blacked out, like completely blacked out.

SPEAKER_02 0:14

I was not, it was not on my radar. I mean, obviously you're nominated, but I really didn't think that it was my year. Um and so I I blacked out completely. Um, I had nothing prepared, like I really didn't have any. Last year I had some things prepared just in case. And this year I was like, I'm not gonna do that. You know, I don't know, for one reason or another in my mind, it just made sense. And um I also like didn't know that everyone could was watching like the reaction. So when I came back to Balkan, I like somebody had sent me a video from like another angle. They were like sitting in front of us, and I thought that was like a private moment.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

So I showed the staff and they were like, We saw all of this. And I was like, Oh, okay, you saw me hopping up and down like a like a little girl.

SPEAKER_00 1:09

D had do you plan to bring your family up there? Like, did you have that planned out? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:14

Coming up with you and I mean, it was organic, like it happened naturally. Last year, some more of my family wanted to come. Um, anybody that wanted to come, I was like, Yeah, I'm like, let's go. You know, it's it's but yes, having, you know, obviously our the family that you know I do this with there. Yeah, that yeah, it would feel surreal. It was important to have them there.

SPEAKER_00 1:35

My gosh. And it was very emotional for you when you got up there and then you were looking at just out at the crowd. Did were you just like you said, you like kind of blacked out, but just yeah, I mean, I couldn't breathe.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

I was I I saw Andrew Zimmerman who who like put the award around my neck and he like had to talk me through it at one point. He was like, You have to turn around. I was like, okay. So I turn around and I look out, and you just I mean, it's it's a huge audience, and like they're all your peers and you know, people that you respect and admire, and you know, you have friends and family out there, and it's it's yeah, and then you you listen to these inspirational speeches, you know, all night long, and I didn't really have anything prepared for that. I think, you know, if I could go back and do it all again, yeah, I definitely would have something like written out and I would have said a lot more, but I think the gist of like what we do here and what I've felt from an emotional level is like that that was true, you know. And the fact is, is that family, when I met them, they were all apart. And now I get to see them like together all the time. And the restaurant gave us the means to do that. Like without the success of this restaurant, there was no way we would have been able to afford, had the means, the energy, the the structure, the infrastructure to support that family being together in another country again. Yeah. It was just ne it never would have been possible. And that's like the biggest gift, right? Like it's the biggest gift to to me, to, to Edo, to his family, and and it's something that every time something comes up, like we constantly fall back on that. And it's something that's always in the forefront of my mind. I never stop thinking about that. Um, the importance of that and the weight of it. Uh so that being the one thing that I set up there makes a lot of sense, you know. Um, so I do feel good about that. I just wish that I could have explained why. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Well, there's also has to be immense pride in the fact that you have brought like the actual true culture of the food and like what a meal there looks like, like through the restaurant.

SPEAKER_02 3:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:56

Just so many people that would have never had that.

SPEAKER_02 3:59

Yeah, there's not a lot of representation of what we do out there. Like we're pretty unique. And I think that's one of the things that makes us kind of special is that we're unique. I mean, yes, there are tons of Basyan and Balkan restaurants all over the country and the world. Um we just happened to be in a city that people were extra curious uh because we have such a huge population here. And, you know, I think part of us kind of really always kind of going to the source and and learning and getting as much information as possible to make sure that the cuisine is being replicated or you know, presented in a way that feels good. I mean, I'm a creative, so of course I have, you know, my spin on things, but I can't really do that until I learn the basis and the base of of what all that looks like.

SPEAKER_00 4:48

Right, which is why you've been so successful doing it because you like got you get even like the most simple basics, right? Like you don't you never overlook those.

SPEAKER_02 4:57

No, it's really, I mean, it's also important that uh me specifically that I do not do that because I'm not from there. Yeah. You know, so it's one thing to, you know, cook for Edo and his family, but to represent that to the population, yeah, I take it's the most serious part of what I do. I I never stop thinking about it. I think about it when I wake up, I think about it before I go to bed, and I think about it when I'm thinking about new dishes, new concepts, new events. Like I'm it's always on the forefront of my mind.

SPEAKER_00 5:28

Yeah. And I feel like something I think about like with people like you, and when you like find this like big success moment is just thinking about like when you started. And like obviously this had to be a goal, but I'm sure at the time you weren't thinking you were gonna win a Jameis Beard. So just I don't know, just like and still, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:48

Like I still, it's no. I mean, I I if you'd have asked me when I mean, I always knew that I would open something. I didn't know what it looked like, I didn't know how I would do it. Um, and it that evolved over the years as my career went on, and you know, I was raising two kids and you know, the timing wasn't right. So as you know, time went on, like things changed, I changed, my skill set developed more, and you know, you you land on what you land on for a reason. And you know, yeah, that's it's a huge part of um of the reason why it feels so crazy is because I think about everything that it took from start to finish. And again, like you look out into that crowd of people and you know there are, you know, a thousand people that have felt the like similar things to you. And so, you know, yes, like we had a lot of hardship getting to where we've been, getting to where we are now, but no, like it wasn't. I I would have been, I would have told you that I'm gonna open this restaurant, I'm gonna sit on that oven, you're gonna come in, you're gonna eat, you're gonna wave to me, and I'm gonna wave to you, and I'll be making your food, and Edo will be like walking around being charming, and Emir and you know, Babo same, though. You know what I mean? That's in my head, that's what it always looked like. Never looked like this.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Yeah. I mean, and I saw you before you even had the truck just like working in kitchens, perfecting your skill, and then yeah, just taking the first leap, which a lot of people don't have the guts to do.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

It's it it's I I say that to people often that want to talk to me about getting into this or like, you know, doing this job is like it doesn't, it's not for the faint of heart, you know, there's a lot of failure, and you can't have success without failure. It sounds really cheesy, but it's like I mean it's a hundred percent true. There's like these little like lines that you hear in life, and as an adult now, you like laugh about them because they're actually true. Like, work hard, hard work pays off. It actually does. Yes. And I am there's proof to that. And you know, the other thing is like you have to have a ton of failure to have success and will continue to fail as you continue to succeed. It's like there are levels to this and it just keeps going, but the failures never stop. Like that's what teaches you what you need to know to get to the next step. So it's it's yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:17

And people don't like all the nights, the weekends, the tears, the like what you just went through yesterday and now coming to see us. Yes. Yeah. I mean, yeah, I just feel like that stuff gets taken for granted in the industry. Like when people are just enjoying it, I just don't even see that. So I'm just like so happy for you that you're like, I mean, you've been reaping the rewards, but like truly getting the recognition that you deserve.

SPEAKER_02 8:39

It's it's it's been so amazing. And the community, it's fun to hear like that people are just as excited. I mean, I get excited at the thought of it. And every time I think about it or pull out that award or look at it, I'm like, you know, is this real life? Really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:56

Yeah. Amazing. Is there a certain pride that you have like for the counter service restaurants up all across the world? Like, I mean, like you put on for counter service, like usually this award might be reserved for somebody in fine dining, like a fine dining restaurant or something like that.

SPEAKER_02 9:09

Of course. I never, I would never have thought that this was available to people doing what we're doing. Um, you know, Gerard and Kevin both had white tablecloth, like fine dining restaurants, and you know, super talented, I mean well-deserved, you know, chefs that got that. And to see that somebody on the opposite spectrum of hospitality, like we do the complete opposite thing, but it's the same. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 9:38

When you think yes, when you think about people trying your food and like that reaction of like, oh my gosh, this is incredible, and like sharing a meal.

SPEAKER_02 9:45

It's yeah, you don't realize that it's the same all the time, you know. And I think what helps is stuff like this, where it's like somebody like us, you know, can take an award that's so prestigious. And, you know, again, like looking looking out and just being like, yeah, we're all the same, we're all doing the same job. Kevin Nashon told me that once, like, we all do the same job. This is like just get in there and do what you do, you know. And it doesn't matter because it's it's no one person is working harder than the other. And there's a lot of luck wrapped into all of this too. And I think that's important to talk about that, you know I know, you know, at least 25 people that work as hard as I do, you know what I mean? And they're never gonna get this kind of recognition. And it's a lot of there's a lot of luck. There's a lot of parts and moving pieces that I don't have any idea about. But what's cool is that it for people that want to like go after that, that it gives them hope that they can.

SPEAKER_00 10:44

Right. Well, it because it reminds you of like the fundamental basics of like why people go out to meals and like why people do this. At the first place, it's about like the experience and the food and like being together and just like the hard work that goes into it. And I don't know, like that's just as deserving for this type of concept because you're delivering all those things at like an exceptional level, which is why you want. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:07

It's it's a it's it's really it's it's remarkable to think about. And I love the idea of having people look to us and think like, I want to do that. Yeah, like I want to strive to be like that, or I want to, I want to, I want to try to, you know, do what they're doing. I just I that feels so good. Yeah. You know what I mean? It like feels really good to Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:32

I mean, I just had so many great people that I looked up to. I mean, you already got word inspiring so many people, and now you just get a reach more people not many more. Yeah. Yeah. So what's next?

SPEAKER_02 11:46

Yeah, I mean, there's a lot on the horizon. Iowa, you know, I think obviously you've been inside of Balkan and it's not large. Um so all we can really do is what we can do at the capacity that we have. Um but I'm I think that there's, you know, I think there's room for growth in other areas, maybe more concepts. Um, you know, maybe expansion on what we're doing now. We're we have a lot of conversations going because it's an exciting time. I mean, and we're always talking about these things anyway, because it just feels good to try.

SPEAKER_00 12:28

Yeah. Amazing. All the time is ripe. The time is now.

SPEAKER_02 12:33

That's what it feels like. Bosnia is having its moment. So like it feels good to share that too. Like, I think that's also so remarkable. Like that I, you know, I won that when I was up there receiving that, and I had I had said in Bosnia, like, I love you, Bosnia, like volume Bosnia. And uh part of that was like because like they're in the World Cup, and then you know, all of a sudden there's all this buzz around them, and everything that it's given me, I mean, had so many ties and so many like meanings, not just for me, but for my family. And it's it's just crazy to think about. Like, if if I would have given the microphone to Eno and Emir, like they would have talked about also being in the World Cup, and then you see like the videos that come up online. I mean, I'm still trying to catch up to my phone, like I haven't been able to do that. And you know, the videos are playing and people are sharing from all over Bosnia, like all over Bosnia, like that they're being represented in such an amazing light.