Balkan Bites

Balkan Bites is a women-owned business that aims to raise awareness of Balkan culture and cuisine in the United States and beyond. They specialize in producing burek, a traditional Balkan pie that is wrapped with phyllo dough and stuffed with savory and sweet fillings. Flaky and filled with delicious flavors—Spinach & Cheese, Ground Beef, Mushroom & Goat Cheese, Ricotta & Feta Cheese, Apple, and Nutella—these pies can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as a snack. Balkan Bites handmakes their phyllo dough from scratch using King Arthur unbleached flour, European style butter, and extra virgin olive oil. Their vision is to break boundaries and bring people together while delivering the highest quality products. Available for wholesale, pop-ups, and catering. Founders Story: Ariana Malushi, born and raised in the United States, grew up with strong ties to her Balkan roots. With her father from Kosovo and her mother from Croatia, Ariana spent her summers in the Balkans eating burek, burek, and more burek. But back in the US, winters were bleak and burek-less. She yearned to make the dish more accessible there. Alida Malushi, Ariana’s aunt, was working as a journalist in Kosovo until political unrest drove her to immigrate to the United States in 1991. When she landed in New York, she decided to turn her passion for cooking into a full time career. She attended the International Culinary Center, her career took off, she opened up her own bakery and was quickly climbing the culinary ladder of success when her mother, Magbule, fell ill. She gave up her career to take care of her mother for over a decade, who unfortunately passed away in November of 2017. Following Magbule’s death, Ariana and Alida found solace in baking together, using traditional recipes that Magbule had taught them to remember and celebrate her memory. And so Balkan Bites was born: as a way to commemorate Magbule, share her love of life, of loved ones, and burek with the world.