Congratulations to Taft Street Restaurant & Bar, winner of our 2018 Award for Excellence in Small Business!
The Award for Excellence in Small Business recognizes a business that:
Acts as an anchor institution for communities through investment, by providing employment, or by remaining committed to staying in communities that need economic activity.
Involves employees in community service with community partners.
Provides economic growth to the region and locates in neighborhoods with revitalization plans, offering employment and drawing capital into communities.
Provides monetary or in-kind support for community-building nonprofits.
In a review by The Riverfront Times, Taft Street Restaurant & Bar’s Bosnian cuisine is described as reflective of Bosnia’s “many diverse influences from Europe’s east, west and south. No restaurant better expresses this diversity than Taft Street Restaurant & Bar.” This cuisine includes such dishes as goat cheese fritters; kulazy, triangular beef-filled pastries; tomato-and-feta salad; spicy fish soup; and entrees featuring chicken, veal, seafood, and pasta with cream sauces. A signature off-menu dish available on request serves cevapi, a sweet beef sausage, between two big slices of lepana, Bosnian bread.
Taft Street Restaurant & Bar draws a diverse group of visitors and provides a sense of home for Bosnian friends and family. It serves as a gateway for others to learn more about Bosnian culture, a presence that is strong in the St. Louis community.
Sadik Kukic, owner of Taft Street Restaurant & Bar, is also a pillar in St. Louis’ Bosnian immigrant community. He has helped to stabilize and strengthen the Bevo Mill neighborhood since he arrived in St. Louis from Bosnia in 1993. Sadik has served as President of the Bosnian Chamber of Commerce and currently serves as Chairman of the newly formed Bevo Community Improvement District. He is an accomplished business owner and chef and can be found most days cooking at Taft Street Restaurant or preparing for catering events at his newly opened space in Bistro Banquet & Events Center (formerly Meli’s Banquet Center & Restaurant) on Gravois Avenue.
Bevo CID swag at a recent happy hour held at Taft Street Restaurant & Bar
Sadik’s hard work, combined with Taft Street Restaurant & Bar’s welcoming presence and commitment to the community, embodies CBN’s vision for St. Louis: a region where all people live in safe, economically strong, and vibrant neighborhoods and all community-based organizations are sustainable, supported, and valued.
