The Hruska Family trio, Ross, Devin (Emery) and Corey, have brought their favorite pastry to Utah and put their Czech Heritage and their Sugar Land, Texas roots into a flavorful dough ball of goodness. Hruskas Kolache opened their first location in Provo in 2014 and opened a second location in Sugar House in May.
“We all came to Utah for school; Ross has always had the idea of starting a restaurant. He is a cook, it’s what he does. It was a hobby that has become a profession,” Cory said. “He first thought about a sandwich shop but then discovered there were no kolaches in Utah, where in Texas (where they are from), there are tons. After my mission, we decided to start the business. I went into it thinking I would just work for him and get a payout a year or so from now.”
Made fresh daily, they offer over 20 varieties to indulge in, and when they sell out, the doors close.
According to Cory, kolaches are only as good as the dough they are made from. The key is to get air in the dough, so letting the dough rise and proof is essential.
Hruska’s reached into the family archives and found a recipe from their great grandmother and tweaked it a bit to make a bit more American, which basically required adding more butter.
“The fillings came from Ross’s background in gourmet cooking,” Cory said. “We use a lot of eggs, veggies, meats and cheeses in our savory kolaches. Our best-selling sweets are raspberry cream cheese.”
On a Saturday at their Provo location, they sell out of more than 1,000 kolaches by noon. Selling their food fresh is vital to their brand.
“Everything is done the day of, fresh,” Cory stated. “I would rather shut this place down than serve something from the day before.”
