Growing up, my grandmother was always so proud to be in Canada. Every Canada Day, she made sure we celebrated in a big way—always with a Balkan barbecue, of course. But behind her pride was a story she could never fully tell. The life she left behind was too painful to put into words, but her eyes told me everything.
She was a survivor. Fearless. A woman who sacrificed everything, arriving in a new country with two small children and somehow, against all odds, buying her first home on her own. I always wondered why she had a hard time showing love with words but had no trouble loving us in the ways we needed.
She built the foundation for a better life, and that’s exactly what we got. My privilege doesn’t go unnoticed, but I’m not ashamed of it—because I know the struggle that made it possible. Nothing was handed to us; it was fought for, worked for, earned.
She gave me this gift. And I think she’d be proud to know we’re building on what she started. That’s what The Spicy Balkan is to me—honoring where we came from while creating something for the future.