Brother and sister Milica and Bill Stojanovic run The Pantry Shop. Photo: Tenele Conway.
There are three things you realise when you talk to Bill Stojanovic: he loves his family, he loves food, and he doesn’t like to rest.
It’s a volatile combination that’s found Bill and his family running a number of businesses that have all spun off from the original iteration, Burek Bakery.
Hardcore fans of the Old Bus Depot Markets will remember Bill and his family recipe for Burek, the traditional Serbian pastry that was a popular treat for Sunday market goers.
Bill wrapped up Burek Bakery in September 2024, and if you’re wondering where he went, well, he’s been pretty busy.
I caught up with Bill and his sister, Milica, in their new shop located in Fyshwick, The Pantry Shop.
The shop provides Bill and Milica an outlet for the three food brands they currently run (you remember what I said about Bill not liking to rest?)
The Pantry Shop offers a wonderfully curated selection of local and international food products. Photo: Tenele Conway.
There’s Deda’s Smokehouse, Deda being the Serbian name for grandfather, and in this case, it refers to Bill’s father, Milan. The smokehouse takes the traditional craftsmanship from their home country and translates that to smoked and cured products made with premium Australian meats.
There’s The Pretzel Baker, which serves traditional soft hand-rolled pretzels, a food that Bill says came to Serbia via Germany.
Then there’s Gathered at the Table, the arm of their food empire that makes condiments and sauces, everything from caramelised onion and pickles through to aiolis, relishes and chilli jams.
Until recently, there was also a business called The Strawberry Van, and while you will see some of their products on the shelves of The Pantry Shop, Milica explains they recently set that business aside.
Bill laughs that they may have bitten off more than they can chew with all of their different operations.
Stunningly displayed and expertly curated, Bill shares that the new store is a collaboration between family and friends.
“You couldn’t do this sort of thing on your own; it takes a lot of people.”
Bill and Milica’s family connections created the stunning colour scheme for the Pantry Shop. Photo: Tenele Conway.
It’s almost a little incongruous to see Bill so at home in The Pantry Shop. He shares with me black and white photos of his family from Serbia. He tells what feel like old-world stories about slaughtering pigs from age 10, and he has an innate connection to the history and ancient food connections that form Serbia.
Yet here he is in this shop which just pops with vibrant colours, trendy fonts, cool and eclectic vibes and an almost Gen Z retro-chic aesthetic.
But it all makes sense. Bill and his family live and breathe this stuff. Their passion for curating the products in the shop combines to ensure quality and a look and feel that aligns with the fun vibes they believe are crucial to commerce today.
But it’s not all popping packaging and refined visual merchandising. As Milica walks around the store, she touches items that are deeply embedded in her family’s history. There’s the hand-cranked whisk that she grew up using and the family baskets that now overflow with products.
Everything has been thought through, and everything has meaning to them, and that meaning all centres around their family heritage in Serbia, a way of living that Bill explains revolved around the natural cycles of growing, rearing and preserving food.
“The concept of food, we were always surrounded by it. Food is so important to Europeans. Whether they’re Serbian, Croatian, Italian, Spanish, or whatever,” Bill explains.
“I came from a village. We had no supermarkets, fridges or freezers. So when your veggies were ready, you’d pickle them. The meats you could only do in wintertime, so once a year we’d gather and create the stuff, and when it was ready, we’d share it out.”
Bill, as a child, helped with the annual meat production in Serbia alongside his father and godfather. Photo: courtesy of Bill Stojanovic.
It’s a lifestyle that Bill laments is lost today, but sharing those connections and craftsmanship is clearly one of the driving forces behind why Bill and the family are so invested in these businesses.
His food, under the many brands they operate, and now his shop, has become an outlet for him and the family to invite people into their world and share memories through food while allowing people to take home a piece of the Stojanovic family to share at their own table.
You can find out more about the Stojanovic family business on their Instagram accounts: The Pantry Shop, Gathered at the Table, The Pretzel Baker and Deda’s Smokehouse.
