William Djuric

Born and raised in New York City, William was raised by parents with a deep appreciation for cooking and entertaining, greatly influencing his curiosity in the kitchen and was a way for him to learn about his Balkan and Eastern European roots and share it with others. After his father’s passing in 2014, William decided to pursue his dream of opening a Balkan restaurant that would be inspired by his father’s Serbian heritage and childhood summers spent in Yugoslavia. In early 2017, he left more than a decades-long career in entertainment, the majority spent as a producer for short films, music videos and documentaries, and enrolled in the Institute of Culinary Education. During his time at ICE, he worked his first kitchen job at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Café & Bakery in Columbus Circle, and upon graduating landed opportunities at other highly regarded restaurants such as Gramercy Tavern, The Nomad and Momofuku Ssam Bar. During his time at Ssam Bar, William found his rhythm in the kitchen and discovered his cooking style that would eventually inspire his first venture. It was during the early months of the pandemic in 2020 that William decided to experiment with an original recipe for the Balkan pastry burek, which brought life to Balkan StrEAT, New York’s first Balkan fine casual restaurant concept.
William lives in New York with his wife, Donna, and their dog, Hugo.