La Grange Bakery Renovated; Larger Menu Set For Next Month

LA GRANGE, IL – Balkan Bakery, a Serbian-Balkan bakery, dessert shop and specialty store in La Grange, has completed a renovation and plans to unveil a new menu early next month.

The update at 541 S. La Grange Road adds a European-inspired gathering place and a new brand identity, while keeping the recipes it has used since opening in 2007, according to the bakery's news release.

The renovation added indoor and outdoor seating, a pergola and patio, artisan display cases and updated branding. The bakery said the work was completed after regular business hours and that the shop stayed open throughout the project.

The space was designed with Natasa Dubak, director of interiors and design for IMX Group.

Owner Marija Pejkovic has been with the bakery since it opened in 2007 and took it over from her mother-in-law in 2020, when she retired, according to the news release.

Before the business, Pejkovic spent 14 years in the fashion industry. The bakery said that experience influenced the design direction of the refresh.

The new logo features a stork, which the bakery said reflects the Serbian towns of Svojnovo and Babin Most, where Pejkovic and her husband are from.

The bakery said storks are a familiar sign of home and return there and that, in the Balkans, the bird symbolizes new beginnings and homecoming.

"The menu came from a simple question: What happens when ajvar, kulen, and kajmak meet the modern sandwich and salad formats people already love?" Pejkovic said in the news release. "We didn't want to choose between heritage and the way people eat today. We wanted to weave them together so both feel at home."

According to the news release, the new menu will include hot panini and toast sandwiches, salads and snack bowls.

The bakery said its longtime staples will remain.

Later this year, the business plans to launch The Gourmet Vault, described as a sister company and specialty online store shipping Balkan products and specialty grocery items nationwide from the Chicago area.

Balkan Bakery, 541 S. La Grange Road, is expanding its menu next month. (Courtesy of © Kelly Freedman)