Bosnian refugee Elvira Ahmetspahic always wanted to be a chef, but life and war got in the way.
After moving to St. Louis, she鈥檚 now cooking up a 鈥淭aste of Bosnia鈥� for her new home at her Mehlville restaurant.
鈥淓ven as a child, I loved cooking. That was just my passion, and I knew I wanted to be a chef,鈥� Ahmetspahic said.
At 17, Ahmetspahic left her home in Bosnia when the Bosnian war started in 1992. She never went back.
鈥淭hey were saying we have to flee the country, but we were thinking we will be back in a few months. So, at that point, I was still not realizing that we鈥檙e not going to be back so soon, or at all,鈥� she said. 鈥淎t this point, I have never been back.鈥�
Ahmetspahic first fled to Germany as a refugee, where she spent about five years. It was in a refugee camp where she met her future husband, Emil.
After they came to the United States, they decided to make the move to St. Louis after hearing about the significant Bosnian population in the area. Now they live in Mehlville in south St. Louis County.
St. Louis has the United States鈥� largest Bosnian population with an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 in the metropolitan population, according to .
鈥淗onestly, I love the people of St. Louis. They basically are very heartwarming. They are welcoming. Especially to us, to refugees,鈥� she said.
Ahmetspahic鈥檚 family embraced its new home.
鈥淲e loved going to zoo, to museum, the botanical garden, Arch, all of those places in St. Louis,鈥� she said.
But she still had her culinary dreams. Before she left Bosnia, she started culinary school, but it was cut short by the war.
鈥淎lways, in my mind, I had that at one point, [that] I will have my own restaurant, that I will run the place, that I will be cooking all day long,鈥� she said.
Once her children were grown, Elvira started catering and growing her business. Eventually she opened up the physical location, Taste of Bosnia, in June 2021 in Mehlville.
It鈥檚 at her restaurant that she鈥檚 able to share some of her home country with her St. Louis neighbors.
鈥淢y joy comes in the cooking, like when I am in the kitchen, I鈥檓 happy. I鈥檓 in my own world,鈥� she said.
Taste of Bosnia鈥檚 most popular item with customers are pitas stuffed with various fillings including ground beef, cheese, spinach or potato.
鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 bringing them piece of Bosnia. 鈥� But this way, I introduce them like our homes, what we grew up on so they can basically taste how we were growing up,鈥� she said.
Ahmetspahic sees people of many backgrounds coming through her door.
鈥淢ostly, I would say it鈥檚 Bosnians, just because they know Bosnian food. But there is a lot of Americans, there鈥檚 a lot of Asian people, there鈥檚 a lot of Indian people,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t makes me happy to see everybody coming and trying our food.鈥�
After more than a quarter of a century in St. Louis, home for Elvira is not about a physical place.
鈥淐oncept of home really means, it doesn鈥檛 matter where it is,鈥� she said, 鈥渁s long as you have family and your immediate family 鈥� your kids, your parents, husband, siblings 鈥� close 鈥� that is home.鈥�
