<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=39b5us_1H1wv06r00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=39b5us_1H1wv06r00" width="1200" height="800" >When it’s time to make strudel at New Era Restaurant, Soka Milanko makes the dough in-house — then stretches it on a table, by hand, until it’s thin enough to add in the filling of either apples or cheese. She then wraps the pastry, cutting it into thirds.“It’s not frozen. It takes time,” says co-owner Danijela Milanko, Soka’s daughter. She’s sitting inside New Era’s dining room, dotted with wall art portraying scenic areas in Yugoslavia. “My mom comes in the morning, around 6 a.m., to start preparing everything for it to be ready by lunchtime.”The Milanko family, including daughters Danijela, 32, Aleksandra, 30, and Ana, 34, as well as brother, Dusan, 29, have run New Era since its previous owners, the Lekics, began leasing them the restaurant in 2022. They’ve taken on a legacy.“It’s almost been 100 years that this place has been around,” Danijela says. “The recipes were the most important, to keep those the same, because that’s what keeps people coming back.”New Era was first founded around 1928 by immigrants Rade and Lucija Juric. Lucija named the restaurant after her hope for a fresh start. She brought her cousin, Lucija “Lou” Strebick, over from Croatia to assist with operations. Strebick became the cook in 1959 — and continued to make strudel and help in the kitchen until shortly before her 2024 death at 96.Strebick passed the restaurant down to her daughter, Mary Lou Lekic, and her husband, Mitch Lekic — and they, in turn, passed it to the Milankos. The move made sense: The Milankos have been longtime figures in the New Era story. After their family immigrated to the U.S. from Serbia in 1999, Soka was looking for a job — and wasn’t fluent in English.“It’s perfect here because they are Serbian, and you know we speak the same language,” says Danijela. “They needed help in the kitchen with the dishes or serving, hostessing, and she had all of us. They kind of brought us in too, and we stayed ever since.”Soka has worked in the New Era kitchen for more than 20 years. Her daughters have been working there since around age 15, moving their way up from dishwashers to co-owners. Dusan came in later.“Our mom knows all the recipes, so it’s perfect to have her too, since she’s been cooking for so many years, and then we learn too. We’ll help in the mornings, help make the paprikash and the daily specials we have every day,” says Aleksandra. “It’s a family thing.”The chicken paprikash, a chicken and dumpling dish in a paprika broth, has become one of New Era’s staples. First, onions are sauteed and seasoned with salt and pepper. Banana peppers and paprika are added and the ingredients are sauteed together. Water is then added, and the chicken simmers for about an hour. The dumplings — spoon-dropped into boiling water — are also made in-house.“The chicken is still on the bone, but it’s so tender it just falls right off,” says Danijela.Try the chicken livers, lightly tossed in flour and pan-fried with mushrooms and onions, the cabbage rolls, or the cevapi Serbian sausage, served with raw onions and sour cream or a roasted red pepper sauce on house-made lepinja bread. Savor goulash, meatloaf and more European comfort foods. For New Era’s regulars, it’s often a familiar taste.“A lot of people say, Oh, my grandma used to make this, and I can’t find food anywhere like this,” says Danijela.“You also get a taste of the culture, like Serbia, Croatia,” Ana adds. “That’s beautiful too.”10 Massillon Road, Akron, 330-784-0087, thenewerarestaurant.com </div></body>

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When it’s time to make strudel at New Era Restaurant, Soka Milanko makes the dough in-house — then stretches it on a table, by hand, until it’s thin enough to add in the filling of either apples or cheese. She then wraps the pastry, cutting it into thirds.

Tradition Alive: New Era Restaurant

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When it’s time to make strudel at New Era Restaurant, Soka Milanko makes the dough in-house — then stretches it on a table, by hand, until it’s thin enough

Tradition Alive: New Era Restaurant

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