Embedded Files
yummilicious.mp4
Yummilicious Café and Bakery is run by Merisha and Hajrudin Omeragic. Their individual skills are what make Yummalicious great – Merisha does the baking, and Hajrudin does the cooking. We had the opportunity to sit down and have a great discussion with Merisha about their restaurant, her family, and the Utica community.
Merisha is originally from Bosnia, and fled to the United States in 1994 when she was nineteen years old to escape the Bosnian War. Her husband Hajrudin was a soldier during the conflict, and came to Utica following the war. Two met, became friends, and eventually got married in 1998. They opened Yummilicious in February 2020, just before the start of the global pandemic. Despite the challenges the pandemic has presented, their business has thrived. Merisha takes great pride in what her family has created and what they have accomplished. Yummalicious has created more than just a restaurant – they are a community space.
Merisha wants people to feel comfortable and at home when they dine there. Food brings people together, she says, and one of the best parts of her job is taking the time to get to know her customers. A large part of creating a safe, community space for Merisha is by not identifying people based on labels. She emphasized it doesn’t matter whether someone is a Christian or a Muslim, a refugee or a citizen. What really matters is being your true, authentic self.
At Yummilicious they offer a wide variety of food items, from chicken tenders to traditional Bosnian dishes. While we were there, we got to taste some Bosnian cuisine for ourselves. August had the cabbage rolls. I had a delicious bowl of Grah – bean soup. After our meals, we sat with Merisha and enjoyed some Bosnian coffee and tea, and ended our time there by taking home some amazing baklava. Merisha gave us a unique tip for enjoying our coffee in a traditional Bosnian manner. Instead of putting our sugar cubes directly into the coffee, she told us to take a bite out of the sugar cube and then sip the coffee. It was delicious!
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse