The square in Trogir named after the famous pharmacist, conservator, and publicist Roko Slade-Šilović has recently become richer for a very special hospitality venue - the first Croatian specialized fritule shop Baléna, which would make the Croatian great himself proud, as one of the co-owners is his great-granddaughter. Longtime friends and owners Ana Slade-Šilović (36) and Marina Martinis (37) say that the idea for starting a sweet business arose from countless hours they spent together in the kitchen.
"As girls, we loved preparing various Dalmatian desserts together, often fritule as well. During one get-together, we talked about our future plans and spontaneously concluded that we wanted to open a fritule shop. And we immediately started making it happen," says Marina. For the past year and a half, they have been balancing between family, motherhood, and opening the fritule shop. Construction work began in March and Marina’s husband Marko helped a lot with that, while Marina was in charge of the works and logistics, and Ana’s husband Sven, an architect with international experience, designed the entire space.
"We did everything ourselves, from the concept and decoration to testing recipes and working behind the counter. It wasn’t easy, but every success now has its weight," admits Marina honestly, who was born in Split and grew up in Seget Donji. She graduated from the Faculty of Economics, but after years of working in her field, she decided to return to something that fulfills her even more. Her love for traditional "spiza" (food), bread, dough, and cooking together with her children has turned into a job that combines everything she loves.
"Through my work, I want people to feel good, whether it’s through a warm smile, a kind word, or a freshly prepared fritula. As a child, I loved the small, golden-fried fritule the most, irregular in shape, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. My favorites were when they were still warm, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and the whole house would smell of vanilla and lemon zest," says Marina.
They decided to pay special attention to this dessert because, they say, fritule are part of their culture, especially in Dalmatia and Trogir, but until now they were reserved only for fairs, stands, and special occasions. For a good fritula, she says, the key is the combination of quality ingredients, proper oil temperature, and experience. They make them according to their own recipe, with carefully selected ingredients and in unlimited combinations of toppings and sprinkles.
"Every fritula is fresh and made without any artificial additives, and all those little details make the difference between an average and a really good fritula," explains Marina. And the difference is noticeable. In just a month since opening, Baléna already has its "bestsellers" - Belgium, Dubai, and Cheesecake are the most sought after, although everyone can create their own combination. In addition to fritule, Baléna also offers specialty coffees, matcha, and homemade craft juices - everything can be taken to go, perfectly adapted to today’s fast pace.
"Running a small business like a fritule shop is a big challenge, but also something that brings us a lot of satisfaction. When you start from scratch, you have a hundred things on your mind: from equipment, procurement, recipes, to how you’ll attract people. But when you see people coming back, bringing others, and talking about our fritule, you know you’re on the right track," says Ana, who was already an entrepreneur before the fritule shop.
She is happy that they opened it right on the square named after her great-grandfather, in a tavern that had stood unused for years.
"It was home only to pigeons, and I wanted to enrich that space, give it some meaning. The story behind choosing the name is interesting too: in the dictionary of Trogir’s cakavian dialect, ‘balina‘ means a small ball, which fit perfectly with our brand," adds Ana, who is also skilled in preparing dishes from the Zagorje region, especially pumpkin pie and ‘štrukli,‘ since part of her family is from Varaždin.
"When cooking, it’s especially important to me to use quality ingredients, so I almost exclusively shop at stores with organic products and I’m happy that this has, in a way, carried over to Baléna, because we really make sure that everything we use is of good quality," concludes Ana.
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