Uliana Komodi and Khrystyna Savva are Ukrainian sisters with a passion for the recipes passed down from the women in their lives.
Having channeled that passion into a successful Springfield wedding-cake business, Sweet Couture, Komodi and her husband, Joe, decided to expand their repertoire to include European treats like cream puffs and cakes. The European Café opened for business at 207 Park Central East in downtown Springfield on Jan. 13.
The Scoop spoke with Savva about the inspiration behind the café and the satisfaction of bringing European flavors to downtown Springfield.
Q: What brought you two to Springfield?
We’ve been coming to Springfield since we were students back home in the Ukraine. We would come here for the summer because our aunt lives here, and we really liked it here, so we just decided to stay here. [Laughs]
Q: How did the café come about?
My mom is a baker. She’s been baking her entire life, and she made wedding cakes. So we grew up with that every day, with the things you see here. My sister is the one who actually bakes. … She decided to do a wedding expo, and everyone liked what she did, so we had to open the café because we needed the space.
Q: How does European cuisine differ from American cuisine?
[Laughs] It’s totally different. The first time I came to the United States, it was weird. Probably the biggest difference I notice is that we don’t use a lot of spices. We’ll use one or two spices in our dishes most of the time, and we’ll just let the ingredients shine. We like a lot of bread in Europe, but we have no peanut butter. … I don’t know; I think it’s absolutely different.
Q: In your opinion, what is the café’s specialty? What’s something every customer should try?
So far, our cream puffs are the best. I had a person today tell me that they’re just like his grandma used to make — even his mom couldn’t make them like that.
Q: What is something you want customers to get out of their experience at the café? Maybe something cultural? Something more laid-back?
The café is a place where we want people to come and enjoy and relax. We wanted to create a more sophisticated interior, but we love people coming here and enjoying their time and each other’s company and some sweets.
