Glen Ellyn crepe restaurant 'a dream' for Carol Stream owner

Making a crepe isn't for the faint of heart.

Pour too much batter in the sizzling pan, and you end up with something close to a pancake. Lose focus, and the paper-thin crepe is easy to tear.

Ilirjan Jankulla must have nerves of steel because he can plate delicate crepes on the spot at his new downtown Glen Ellyn restaurant - and under the hungry gaze of his customers.

"It was my dream to build a place like this, everything healthy and fresh," says Jankulla, a native of Greece.

It's so fresh that the savory and sweet dishes off the menu at Euro Crepes are made to order. Jankulla, known around the restaurant as "Louie," also lets his patrons experiment and choose their own mix of fillings and toppings.

"Create your own crepe the way you want it," he advises.

The process unfolds as Jankulla, in his blue apron, keeps a close eye on the crepe machine. He spreads the batter on the hot griddle with what looks like a squeegee. And he doesn't break a sweat when it comes time to flip.

For this dessert, Jankulla adds a layer of chocolate hazelnut spread and cookie crumbles for crunch before folding the crepe - omelette-style - and finishing it off with a dusting of powdered sugar.

"Happiness is homemade," reads a piece of artwork on the wall.

Jankulla and his wife have been in the restaurant business for nearly 15 years. The Carol Stream couple previously ran a Naperville pizzeria that also featured Greek food.

But Jankulla wanted to bring lighter offerings to Glen Ellyn. This spring, village trustees approved his request for an $8,750 grant toward interior renovations in the former Fabulous Me boutique at 548 Crescent Blvd.

The program is designed to attract new businesses or encourage existing ones to expand. As of late July, facade and retail grant payments totaled $52,500, a quarterly financial report to the board showed.

Euro Crepes opened its doors less than two weeks ago and now caters to breakfast, lunch and dinner crowds.

Jankulla isn't glued to the kitchen, but mingles with diners. "How's the food?" he asked one group who lingered over their meals late Wednesday afternoon.

"That's why we opened the place, so people can come to relax," he said.

Euro Crepes is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays; and 9 to 6 p.m. Sundays. Customers also can call ahead to pick up their orders at (630) 403-2061.