The family behind Balkan Treat Box (8103 Big Bend Blvd. Webster Groves, Mo 63119) announces today the official opening of the new restaurant and coffee shop: Telva at The Ridge (60 N. Gore Avenue, Webster Groves, MO 63119). Located adjacent to Rolling Ridge Nursery at the south end of the building, the 2,800 square foot counter service café and coffee shop and adjoining event space plan, The Ridge Room, offers wood-fired roasted coffee, salads, soups, pastries, open-faced sandwiches, and more.
After testing the menu over the last few weeks with limited service, Telva is officially open Tuesday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Telva is the second concept from the Nalic family (husband-wife team Loryn and Edo Nalic along with Nalic’s brother and co-owner Emir Nalic and his wife Erna), who also own and operate Balkan Treat Box in Webster Groves.
Telva at The Ridge Grand Opening Unveiled
For Chef/Owner Loryn Nalic, the response thus far has been incredible. “We live in Webster Groves as well as operate our other restaurant here, so it’s been great to see the community respond well to our second concept. We’ve used the last few weeks to dial in our service model, and most importantly, our baked goods program. We now have a fleet of ovens at Balkan Treat Box, so I start my day early, getting the morning pastries baked and ready to be fresh at Telva.” For Nalic, who began her career in pastry, having the processes and bake times in place were imperative. “Our menu is our take on traditional Balkan baked goods along with some fun savory options of open-faced sandwiches, salads, and more. We really want to offer something unique to the St. Louis community, and with our grand opening, we will also be introducing our wood-fired Bosnian coffee program for the first time.”
With 25 seats inside and 30 patio seats outside, Telva offers a warm and inviting space with rich turquoise walls against the space’s original hardwood floors and large wood beams. Hanging plants, an ornate archway over the ordering counter, and decorative pillows add touches of the Balkan region throughout the space. Interior Designer Sara Tran helped with the initial design drawings for our vision, and Artist and Designer Tim Kent and his team helped fabricate and design several of the artistic elements of the restaurant.
Nalic and Chef Jennifer Barrs, who has worked with Nalic since 2019, collaborated on the recipe development for the entire menu. Nalic shares some favorites including the Cilbir, or Turkish Eggs, served with two eggs, garlic yogurt, tomato-chile brown butter, and herbs. “You can’t get these anywhere, and they hit on everything you want for breakfast.” Other dishes to try include the Sloppy Mustafa Tost, a take on a sloppy joe with the flavors of moussaka, served on open-faced toasted bread; the Telva Avocado Tost with roasted tomato, cucumber, feta, olive, tzatziki, sesame crunch, and oregano; and the Tikva Salata, a seasonal salad with dark greens, feta, roasted squash, citrus, charred dates, radish, and orange blossom vinaigrette; among other dishes.
With a rotating menu of close to ten baked goods, Telva’s pastry program allows Nalic and Barrs to honor traditional flavors with their own spin on items like the Cinnamon Tahini Bun, which is inspired by a bread in Istanbul called Tahini Corek and another bread called Acma. “I’ve taken those two as inspiration to create something new. It’s our answer to a sticky bun/cinnamon roll/pull-apart bread in one.” Other favorites include the Potivica, a hand-pulled dough, currently stuffed with chocolate, that’s rolled and layered as a loaf, similar to Babka; Kunefe, a pastry that’s served warm and is both savory and sweet; as well as Nalic’s take on the traditional Baklava.
“Even though these might not be breakfast and lunch items that people have seen before, all the flavors are comforting and familiar, and we’re doing them in our own way,” says Nalic.
Emir Nalic, Loryn’s brother-in-law and co-owner, heads up the coffee program with a menu of unique lattes, in addition to the wood-fired coffee program. “We always dreamed of owning a café that would serve coffee in the style that you find from the Balkan region in Bosnia, Turkey, and Greece,” says Emir. “In addition to the wood-fired coffee, we will have more traditional style coffee drinks, and we’ve created lattes with flavors inspired by desserts that my family grew up loving.”
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For example, the Cupavac Latte is inspired by a traditional chocolate coconut cake found throughout the Balkan region with flavors of coconut and chocolate. The Eurokrem Latte, which is a spread like Nutella found in the Balkan region, features flavors of hazelnut and chocolate. For the wood-fired coffee program, Telva will be serving the specialty coffee how you would traditionally find it in Bosnia and the Balkan region. Each cup is brewed individually in a small copper pot, known as a “džezva.” Coffee grounds are boiled with water for a strong bold flavor and served with sugar cubes. The name Telva translates to the coffee sediment at the bottom of the cup, which is said to give insights into people’s fortunes. Tasseography is the method of telling fortunes through tea, leaves, wine, and coffee.
For the event space, The Ridge Room, guests can host both daytime and evening events for up to 80 people with family-style menus available. Guests will be able to book events, via event and experience site, Disco! or Telva’s website. Telva at The Ridge guests can utilize the event space for overflow seating when available for 20-30 people. Telva is also interested in hosting local vendors and artisans on open weekends in the event space. Interested parties can email hvala@telvastl.com.
Nalic states, “We want Telva to be a place for the community so whether that’s stopping by for a morning coffee or sitting down with us for breakfast and lunch, we look forward to welcoming everyone in.”
For up-to-date information on Telva at The Ridge and the Ridge Room, follow on Instagram and Facebook @telvastl and @ridgeroom or online at www.telvastl.com.
Balkan Treat Box: Balkan Treat Box is a restaurant inspired by the Balkan region’s food from countries such as Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, Turkey and more. Husband-and-wife team Loryn and Edo Nalic started Balkan Treat Box as a food truck in 2017. Already an accomplished chef, Loryn learned to cook the foods of her husband’s native Bosnia from his family and through her travels abroad. After receiving both local and national acclaim for dishes on her wood-fire baked breads such as the Döner, Cevapi and Pide, Balkan Treat Box opened its first restaurant in 2019. The restaurant was then recognized as one Esquire’s Best New Restaurants, one of the 50 nominees for bon appetit magazine’s Best New Restaurants in America, and more. Now as a family-operated business alongside Edo’s brother Emir Nalic, Balkan Treat Box continues to be a destination for Balkan-inspired food in St. Louis. For more information, visit their website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more information.
