In addition to being the culinary director for Monday Night Brewing, Adi Komic is founder of Krupana, a Bosnian and Balkan culture pop-up.
The inspiration for Krupana came after working in various kitchens and realizing he was neglecting his own culture and food history.
The Balkans is the easternmost peninsula in Europe. and Komic’s story focuses on Bosanska Krupa, a town located In the northwest corner of Bosnia. At the center of town is a Stari Grad, or “old castle,” which has been a landmark for at least 700 years. The town locals believe it was built by a maiden named Krupana.
“We named our concept Krupana to honor our family history,” remarks Komic. “And to acknowledge that our culinary history is more often rooted in folklore passed down through centuries of human interaction and movement, rather than recorded in books.”
The food served at Krupana reflects the lived experiences of Komic and those around him. The menu includes traditional Bosnian dishes, Southern comfort foods, Atlanta staples and more.
Komic’s featured dish is Sarma, or stuffed collards. In the Balkans region, Dolmas refers to a variety of stuffed foods, with Sarma packed with a mixture of rice, beef and onions. Komic enhances this mixture by adding a blended mirepoix cooked down in smoked beef fat.
The Sarma are then braised in a tomato-based broth with additional pieces of smoked beef. Komic notes that Dolmas such as Sarma originally helped to stretch ingredients, especially meat, when there was scarce availability. He highlights this through his version of Sarma, while also imparting additional, comforting flavors with the smokey mirepoix mixture and tender braised beef. Dolmas hold a strong cultural identity throughout the Balkans region and Krupana’s offerings elevate this cultural identity while also incorporating new, bold flavors.
Punk Foodie offers this weekly column about Punk Food, a moniker for a cuisine without defining or distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes which is being born out of the increasing infusion of the diverse cultures and experiences that live in our city. Find out where Krupana is popping up next and go deeper via Punk Foodie’s weekly guides and pop-up calendar.