Miroslav (Miro) Gono and his wife Bozka (Bozena) are natives of Bratislava, Czechoslovakia; present day Slovakia. Miro says, “We escaped from communists in 1981. We don’t like living under communists.” The couple and their daughter Zuzka (Susan), pretending to be on vacation, traveled through Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia. They also crossed mountains eventually reaching Vienna, Austria. They obtained political asylum. Misko, their son, was born in Vienna. Miro notes, “If you look at the map, my city, Bratislava is just 50 miles from Vienna, but we had to travel 1100 miles to get there safely.” Next, the U.S.A. granted the Gono’s political asylum.

Miro has served in many capacities in the restaurant setting. He has been a dishwasher, cook, manager and part-owner. Moving to Kenosha in 1985, he established MBG Remodeling Co. Miro says “I got out of the restaurant business. It’s very, very difficult.” Yet, Bozena explains “for years, it has been Miro’s dream to own his own restaurant.” Years later, Miro discovered Timber Ridge, a local steak and chops eatery, was for sale. Miro’s dream was realized when Little Europe at Timber Ridge opened in June, 1994.

The dishes we serve are top-line dishes in ordinary families around Europe…especially the countries of Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and Poland. There are many delights to choose from. The basic staples include: schnitzels, sauerkraut, red cabbage and rye bread. Appetizers include pierogies and latkes. Pierogies are potato dumplings stuffed with either sauerkraut, meat or cheese. Miro stresses, “All food we serve is homemade from scratch.”