Northland Bosnian bakery unites community for World Cup: ‘Our own little Bosnia’
The small front lawn outside one of Kansas City’s Bosnian bakeries was filled with yellow and blue — from the Bosnian flags hanging on the building to people wearing the national team’s jerseys and those with the flag proudly draped across their shoulders.
Children in Bosnia kits played a pickup game of soccer at the small park across the street, while others sang along to Bosnian music or munched on traditional foods like baklava, roasted lamb, honey cake and meat-filled pastries.
“It’s like our own little Bosnia here in Kansas City,” said Elma Keljic, who had a Bosnia flag wrapped around her. “Just being with your own community members and the people around you who share the same culture and the same love for your country and the sport, it definitely means a lot.”
Burek and Cake, a traditional Bosnian bakery in the Northland at 3605 N. Antioch Road, transformed their small storefront into a World Cup hub for Bosnia’s match against Team USA Wednesday night when the U.S. beat Bosnia 2-0 to move on to the round of 16.
Dozens of people sat in lawn chairs in front of the big screen, cheering as the Bosnia and Herzegovina national anthem played, while others stood in a long line that stretched out of the front door to buy cakes, pastries and pitas.
Grace Minson, who lives in the Northland, attended the watch party with her three young children, hoping to introduce them to the culture and show them how two countries can come together.
“Just kind of having the clash of cultures together, and everyone cheering on everyone,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who wins the game, I think everyone will be happy.”
While the crowd was full of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s national colors, many had American flags in their hands, as well — rooting for both their heritage and their home.
For Fatima Delic, whose family moved from Bosnia to the U.S. in the early 2000s, the night was about more than just a soccer game. It also represented community, culture and celebration — an opportunity to celebrate the place she was born, while still cheering on the place she’s called home for more than two decades.
“We love America, we love the United States, we love living here. But we also love being Bosnian, and so any chance that we get to be Bosnian in the United States, and really do it openly and loudly and proudly, we appreciate that and we celebrate that,” said Delic, who helped organize the event.
“There are no losers here tonight.”
