New Eatery Serves Up Eastern European Blinis

By MAGNOLIA LAFLEUR | Reporter

The new eatery Blin Blin has opened on Via de la Paz, and it is bringing the flavors of Eastern European to Pacific Palisades. Eager to introduce the community to a new culinary taste, co-owners of Blin Blin, Alena Logvinenko and Albina Mels, grew up eating blinis, a traditional and beloved East European pancake dating back to over a millennium. The treat ranges from sweet to savory,  made plainly or with toppings like honey, fruit jam or cheese, ham and spinach.

“Most Eastern European families have their own blini recipe, usually passed down from generation to generation,” Mels shared with the Palisadian-Post. “Our grandmother’s recipe was not like anyone else’s, the blini were thin, golden with a crispy rim around the edges, greased with butter, folded and topped with fresh homemade sour-cream. In our family, we make blinis at least once a week for breakfast or even dinner, using our grandmother’s recipe.

“With the opening of Blin Blin, we would love to not only share the delicious blini with our customers, but also to commemorate the memory of our beloved grandmother Zoya.”

Friends of many years, Logvinenko and Mels said they work together, in-charge of the daily operations in the eatery alongside Logvinenko’s brother, Igor, who operates the accounting aspects of the business.

“Blin Blin is just a silly play on words, like ‘bling, bling,’ that is meant to sound light, fun and exciting,” Logvinenko said. “But if you want to wear your best ‘bling’ while eating blini, we would not object.”

Being transported back to their “happiest and most carefree times,” in their childhoods,   Logvinenko and Mels recalled spending their summers at their grandmother’s house in their native village in Kyrgyzstan, a “rustic” town populated by Ukrainian and Russian people.

“Albina and I met in 2010 when we both went to an MBA program, back in Kyrgyzstan at American University in Central Asia, and became good friends,” Logvinenko said to the Post. “I have significant experience living and studying in the United States. I spent a year as a high school student in Chula Vista, California, which made it possible for me to attain fluency in English. Upon returning to Kyrgyzstan, I eventually earned an MBA from the American University in Central Asia.”

Having owned and operated business in the field of high-end specialty retail—like maternity, athletic and children clothing—Logvinenko became specifically interested in starting a restaurant due to her passion for food and cooking, and used the time during the COVID-19 pandemic to study the restaurant business, completing several certification programs, including restaurant management and culinary arts.

“My experience and education only re-animated my energy and passion about this business,” Logvinenko said. “Now that we have been here for a little while, we feel so fortunate to be in Pacific Palisades. The feedback from the members of the local community has been so heart-warming. The Palisaders do really value their local businesses and we hope to love them back by becoming a reliable presence for years to come.”

With many Eastern European families having their own blini recipe passed down from generation to generation, Logvinenko, Igor and Mels hope to introduce their family favorites to Palisadians.

“We strongly believe that Blin Blin will become a local favorite, especially among the families with young children,” Logvinenko said. “Given the nearly infinite variety of blinis and their unmistakable taste, this product will undoubtedly find its regular customers, who will continue to be surprised by new varieties we will introduce over the coming months and years.”