From Bosnia to Canada: How One Family Built Mrakovic on Food, Family & Tradition
In 1994, a family left Sarajevo, not by choice but by necessity. The Balkan conflict had displaced millions, and starting over in Canada, with limited resources and no established network, was the only path forward.
What they carried with them wasn't just luggage. It was a culinary inheritance, generations of recipes, techniques, and flavours rooted in Balkan culture. In Bosnia, food isn't decoration. It's hospitality. It is identity. It's how families say welcome, I love you, sit down, and stay a while.
Those recipes became a lifeline for them in Canada. And eventually, a business.
From a Small Apartment to a National Brand
Mrakovic didn't start with a storefront or a commercial kitchen. It started in a small Toronto apartment, where they prepared and sold traditional smoked meat using the same methods they'd always known.
There was no marketing budget. No strategy. Just the product, and people who recognized it.
The Bosnian and Balkan diaspora in Toronto responded immediately. Authentic Bosnian food, made with the right techniques and ingredients, tastes unmistakably different from imitations. Word spread fast. Quality built the brand before the brand even had a name.
The Birth of Mrakovic Meat & Deli
In 2003, Mrakovic opened its first permanent location in Toronto: Mrakovic Meat & Deli. The concept was deliberate and unlike anything else in the city - a butcher shop, grocery store, deli counter, bakery and dairy all under one roof. Not a conventional Canadian deli but a full Balkan food experience.
Over time, a grill and seating area were added. What started as a retail space became a gathering place, a place where people could sit, eat, and share a proper Balkan cuisine without getting on a plane.
The Dishes That Define Balkan Food
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Ćevapi (Chevapi)
No dish represents Bosnian food culture more than ćevapi. At Mrakovic, they make it the way it's always been: seasoned minced meat, hand-formed into small, caseless sausages, grilled over an open flame, and served with lepinja bread and raw onion. It's a deceptively simple dish, which means every detail matters. They won Gold at the 2019 Ontario Finest Meat Competition, but Torontonians who've been coming for years already knew that. -
Burek
Burek is a thin, layered pastry filled with seasoned minced meat or cheese, and is popular for breakfast. In Bosnia, it's an everyday food, not a special occasion dish. You grab it in the morning. You eat it standing up. You don't think twice about it. Mrakovic bakes burek fresh every day, because that everyday quality is exactly what they are trying to preserve. -
Lepinja
Lepinja is soft, pillowy flatbread baked for a specific purpose: to hold grilled meat and sauce without falling apart. It's not interchangeable with other flatbreads. The texture and flavour are their own, and they matter. Mrakovic chefs bake lepinja in-house, so every order of ćevapi is complete, the way it's supposed to be. -
Ajvar
Ajvar is a roasted red pepper and eggplant spread with deep, smoky flavour, one of the most beloved condiments across the Balkans. Back home, families make it in large batches at the end of summer and jar it for the colder months. They source it directly from Eastern Europe and stock it year-round in multiple varieties, from mild to hot. The taste doesn't change with the season.
Bosnian Desserts & Dairy
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Tufahija
A traditional Bosnian dessert made of poached apples stuffed with a mixture of walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon, topped with whipped cream. -
Baklava
Flaky pastry layered with nuts and honey. -
Tulumba
A popular Middle Eastern and Balkan dessert made of deep-fried dough, soaked in sweet syrup, resulting in a crispy exterior and a soft, sugary interior. -
Kajmak
A thick, creamy dairy spread that they prepare fresh daily.
These are the sweet and rich notes that round out a proper Bosnian table.
More Than a Restaurant: A Full Balkan Food Experience
Halal Butcher & Deli
At Mrakovic, the butcher shop sources fresh, halal-certified meat with quality checks at every stage. They carry Fresh Ontario Lamb, Milk-Fed Baby Veal, and Beef, and custom-cut every order on request.
Their deli counter is entirely in-house. They smoke and cure everything themselves: Bosnian & Albanian Sudzuk, Smoked Beef, and more.
Eastern European Grocery
Beyond the grill and the deli, they stock an extensive range of Eastern European products, pantry staples, imported goods, and specialty items that most Canadian grocery stores don't carry.
Scaling Up: From Local Shop to Nationwide Wholesale Brand
In 2019, Mrakovic opened a dedicated production facility – the step that transformed them into a national brand. They could now produce frozen Bosnian food at scale: packaged chevapi (ćevapi), prepared meals, and more, distributed across Ontario and beyond.
Today, Mrakovic products are available across Canada, including major retail chains. The recipes are the same ones carried from Sarajevo in 1994. Unchanged. Never simplified to suit a broader palate.
Thirty Years. Same Standard
Three decades have passed since the Mrakovic family arrived in Canada with skills, recipes, and nothing else. The apartment kitchen is long gone, replaced by a full store, grill, bakery, deli, and nationwide shipping operation.
But the ćevapi recipe hasn't changed. Like a Sunday when nobody was in a hurry, like the kind of meal that didn't end until the stories did.
The lepinja comes from the same tradition. The ajvar still tastes like the end of a Bosnian summer.
A family survived a war, crossed an ocean, and built something real. They didn’t cut corners. They never had.
Visit mrakovic.com or stop by the Toronto location. Come hungry. Leave knowing what Balkan food actually tastes like.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is traditional Bosnian food?
Traditional Bosnian food is built on simple, quality ingredients and communal eating. Staple dishes include ćevapi (chevapi), burek, grilled meats, sarma and rich stews.
What do Bosnians eat for breakfast?
A typical Bosnian breakfast includes burek, lepinja with spreads like ajvar or kajmak, and plain yogurt.
What kind of bread do Bosnians eat?
Lepinja and somun are the most common – soft, slightly chewy flatbreads designed to be eaten with grilled meats like ćevapi.
What is burek?
Burek is a traditional Balkan pastry made with thin, layered dough and filled with seasoned minced meat. Cheese versions (sirnica) are also popular, especially at breakfast.
What is the national dish of Bosnia?
Ćevapi is widely considered Bosnia's national dish – grilled minced caseless meat sausages served with lepinja bread and onions.
Is Balkan food the same as Bosnian food?
Bosnian cuisine is part of the broader Balkan culinary tradition but has its own distinct flavours, techniques, and cultural significance.
What is the national drink of Bosnia?
Traditional Bosnian coffee, strong, unfiltered, and served in a džezva, is the national drink and a deeply social ritual.
What are some Bosnian specialty foods?
Bosnia's culinary repertoire includes ćevapi, pljeskavica, sudžuk, burek, sirnica, zeljanica, krompiruša, dolma, sarma, begova čorba, grah, bosanski lonac, kajmak, somun, tufahija, hurmašice, and baklava.