Pull up a seat with MOVE staff reporters Darby Schwerman and Hunter Testa in CoMo Cravings, and discover the unique people and iconic dishes that can be found in Columbia’s diverse dining scene.
Nestled on the corner of Eighth and Locust Street, Café Poland has maintained its spot as a downtown Columbia staple for the past 12 years. The restaurant was founded in 2013 by Robert Burlinski and run by his mother, Iwona Galijska, who transferred ownership to Madison Tasker and Antoine De Los Santos in 2024.
Tasker and De Los Santos are dedicated to continuing Galijska’s legacy of sharing a passion for Polish cuisine with the community. This passion began in Poland, where Galijska owned and operated a butcher shop.
“(Galijska is) kind of known as the grandmother of downtown by all of the college students that come here,” De Los Santos said. “That’s kind of just the spirit that she carries. She loves to kind of care for the people that dine at her cafe.”
As their relationship evolved from cafe regulars to close friends, Tasker and De Los Santos formed a strong bond with Galijska. Taking over the cafe was an opportunity to reciprocate the warmth they’d received.
“We’ve been coming here for years for comfort food and just for a little taste of (Polish) heritage, you know, so we were like, ‘Maybe this would be a good match for us,’” Tasker said.
De Los Santos and Tasker came to Columbia with years of hospitality experience, as Tasker worked as a server and De Los Santos as a bartender in high-end Las Vegas casinos and restaurants. The pair’s admiration for Galijska’s work ethic, combined with their Las Vegas hospitality skills, pushed them to learn every grueling detail of Café Poland’s operations and culture, even though neither is ethnically Polish.
In their early days of ownership, they focused on matching the immense care Galijska put into her work — work she would handle alone from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
“There is a lot to Polish cooking,” Tasker said. “So we took probably at least three full months learning with her before we actually took over operations.”
But long hours were the first of many challenges De Los Santos and Tasker faced after accepting the torch from Galijska.
“Learning from (Galijska) was very difficult in the sense that, you know, a grandma doesn’t necessarily measure everything out,” Tasker said. “It’s a pinch here, a pinch there, you know, a little bit of this. You gotta just know.”
Cafe Poland co-owner Antoine De Los Santos chats with a customer on Saturday, Oct. 25, at Cafe Poland in Columbia, Mo. De Los Santos and his partner Madison Tasker purchased the restaurant in October 2024. (Dan Murphy)
Throughout the learning process, the pair closely followed Galijska’s every move by recording videos of her cooking and then measuring out every “pinch.” De Los Santos and Tasker said they still watch those videos to ensure every dish honors Galijska’s dedication and her journey to the United States
Galijska’s presence remains strong at Café Poland as she regularly stops by to check on customers and on plates like the pierogi, Café Poland’s marquee dish. This small pouch of dough is filled with potatoes and either bacon, farmer’s cheese or beef, and is the pride of many Polish kitchens. At the cafe, it’s second to none.
“The pierogi, by far, is our top seller,” said Tasker. “Everybody loves a pierogi. Aside from that, I would probably say bigos.”
Bigos, or hunter’s stew in English, is a hearty combination of sauerkraut, bacon, pork and kielbasa, or Polish sausage. Dating back to the 14th century, the dish began as a way for hunters to fuel their expeditions with game they acquired in the field.
“Each Polish family has a different length of time that they’ll have the stew sit and stew and soak up all the flavors,” Tasker said. “… The meat starts to (take on) the flavor of the sauerkraut and vice versa, and so altogether when it’s finally done it tastes phenomenal.”
Galijska anointed this stewing process “józciac,” which translates to “purgatory” in English.
“It’s basically that resting stage that will make or break the bigos,” De Los Santos said.
De Los Santos and Tasker carry out the daily routine at Café Poland in a similar manner to how they make bigos: slow, deliberate and disciplined.
Along with Galijska’s kitchen expertise, they’ve inherited her love for Columbia. Café Poland remains present in the community through events with The District, but most importantly, by embracing Polish culture beyond the food.
“When it’s (a customer’s) birthday, we sing them Happy Birthday (in Polish) and give them a free birthday crepe.” Tasker said. “It’s our little way of, like, ‘we’re trying our best to learn Polish.’”
The connections formed within Café Poland mean the most to Tasker and De Los Santos, whether through culture, cuisine or memory.
“Our company motto is ‘It’s what’s inside that matters,’” De Los Santos said. “We aren’t Polish on the outside, but it’s all about what’s inside the dishes.”
Edited by Ainsley Bryson | [email protected]
Copy edited by Violet Newton and Emma Harper | [email protected]
Edited by Chase Pray | [email protected]