As a writer, reporter, journalist — whatever you want to call me — I meet a lot of people.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of sitting across the table from many restaurant owners, chefs, bakers, entrepreneurs, and people with an interesting story to tell. I learn about where they came from, what brought them here and, often, what they overcame along the way.
I try to approach every conversation with an open mind and, perhaps more importantly, open ears.
I usually do some homework beforehand. If someone has received press before, I’ll read it. I arrive with my notepad or laptop, a little background knowledge, and plenty of questions. Inevitably, more questions come up as we talk.
But sometimes an interview becomes something else entirely.
That was exactly what happened when I sat down with Four Green Cats Cafe founder, owner, and Executive Chef Nadia Vasa.
I haven’t talked much about my own background because South Jersey Food Scene has never really been about me. It has always been about the people, the places, and, of course, the food.
But one part of my background feels relevant here.
My degree is in social work (yes, surprise, but no, I’m not a social worker – well, not in the traditional sense). A big part of my studies focused on communication and interviewing. When you’re working with people — especially people you hope to help — one of the most important things you can learn is how to listen. Like, really listen, not just hear.
It sounds simple to go to a restaurant and talk with people, but it isn’t always. Restaurants and cafes are busy places. Phones ring. Customers walk by. Someone needs something. A hundred little distractions are competing for your attention.
My conversation with Nadia presented another first for me.
After all these years and all these interviews, this was the first time I needed an interpreter.
Nadia moved to the United States from the Czech Republic 13 years ago and spoke no English. She speaks some English today, but for our conversation, her Assistant Manager, Katerina Klvackov, helped bridge the language gap.
At first, it felt a little awkward. I wasn’t accustomed to asking a question and waiting for it to be interpreted before hearing the answer.
But that feeling disappeared pretty quickly.
The more Nadia opened about her life, the less the language difference mattered. She had warmth and joy that came through immediately.
I still took notes, of course. There were questions and answers. But mostly, I wanted to give Nadia the room to talk. I wanted to listen actively. I hung on her every word. Not only because I was there as a journalist, but because I genuinely respected what it took for her to get here.
Before long, it felt less like an interview and more like a friendly conversation. I found myself completely drawn into Nadia’s story, and I walked away with such admiration for her and everything she has accomplished. At the end of our time together, we hugged, and that simple moment stayed with me. I love when an interview moves beyond questions and answers and becomes a genuine human connection. That has always been one of the best parts of writing for me, and it’s a big part of what keeps me doing it.
A Dreamer and a Doer
I’ve been a Four Green Cats customer for a few years, so Nadia’s baked goods had already spoken for themselves. Her quaint cafe is often touted as one of the most wonderful “hidden gems” in South Jersey. What I didn’t fully appreciate until sitting down with her was the woman behind it all.
Nadia is a dreamer, but she’s also a doer.
Long before coming to America, she was entrepreneurial in her native Czech Republic. That experience ultimately prepared her for the life she would build here.
When she moved to the United States to be closer to her only daughter and granddaughters, who made their home here, she initially embraced a role she loved: being a doting babička (grandmother).
But it didn’t take long for the entrepreneurial itch to return. Nadia likes being productive. She likes creating. She likes being involved with people. And she cares deeply about keeping Czech traditions alive in her adopted home.
During the pandemic, Nadia and her husband, Mila, started small in the SoHa Arts Building in Haddon Township. There, with a rented oven and a very big dream, she laid the foundation for Four Green Cats. Which, coincidentally, doesn’t mean kitty cats. Pretty women in the Czech Republic are called “cats.” She, her daughter, and two granddaughters are the Four Green Cats. Green refers to fresh, pure ingredients.
As people started discovering her baking and word spread, especially among the local Czech population, a loyal following developed.
In 2020, her little cottage operation grew into a brick-and-mortar cafe at Rancocas Woods in Mount Laurel. And that’s when it really took off.
The Rise of Four Green Cats Cafe
Four Green Cats became more than a place to grab coffee and a pastry while browsing the shops at Rancocas Woods. It became a destination.
The off-the-beaten-path location and Nadia’s cooking and baking certainly drove its success, but so did her knack for presenting it. She handles the social media, food styling, and photography herself, creating images that practically make you want to reach through the screen.
Surely, locals embraced Four Green Cats, but people started traveling considerable distances to visit, too. Everybody who came through the doors was organic marketing for her. The business grew and grew, and word of mouth traveled both online and offline, resulting in a very busy and successful operation.
However, six years later, success has created a new problem: Four Green Cats has outgrown its home at Rancocas Woods.
The cafe adjoining Creek Mercantile is consistently busy during the week, and weekends can bring lines out the door. There’s no more room to grow there.
Nadia and her family began searching for a second location about two years ago. They needed more seating, but just as importantly, they needed a true commercial kitchen capable of handling the volume Four Green Cats now produces.
They explored and exhausted all possibilities for expanding at Rancocas Woods and were willing to invest quite a bit of money to make it work. Unfortunately, expansion there was thwarted.
That’s an important part of this story because Nadia wants her longtime customers to understand something: leaving Rancocas Woods wasn’t what she wanted at all.
Four Green Cats feels at home there. She always wanted to stay there, and that was always the plan. The relationships built with customers and the surrounding Rancocas community meant a great deal to her. But the landlord has other plans, which are unknown right now.
So, when the Mount Laurel cafe closes at the end of the year, against her wishes, there will undoubtedly be a lot of sadness. Four Green Cats was a big reason why people went to Rancocas Woods. Its absence will leave a terrible, noticeable void in the community.
But there is also tremendous excitement about what comes next.
Four Green Cats Heads to Haddonfield
That next GRAND chapter is taking shape at 18 Tanner Street in Haddonfield, in the former Sang Tong Thai space (Sanook Thai before that). This was always supposed to be a second location for Nadia. But now it will become the flagship location.
Nadia’s husband, Mila Vasa, has taken on the role of project manager of the new location, helping transform the space into something Nadia has envisioned for a long time. She calls it the Grand Salon. It won’t just be a larger version of the Rancocas cafe. Nadia is dreaming much bigger.
Haddonfield’s historic character feels like a natural fit for what she wants to create: an oasis of European elegance and, as Nadia describes it, an authentic Czech cultural embassy in South Jersey.
The Grand Salon will have a luxurious but comfortable vintage atmosphere inspired by the traditional cafes of Prague and Vienna.
Unlike the quick-service model at Rancocas Woods, Haddonfield will offer full service.
The larger commercial kitchen will finally give Nadia the space to expand creatively and bring more of her ideas to life. Mila will serve as Managing Director, and they are currently building a larger team to support the new operation.
More Czech Food Is Coming
Nadia plans to introduce more savory and sweet Czech specialties, including dishes that are difficult — and in some cases nearly impossible — to find elsewhere in South Jersey.
The restaurant will expand its breakfast menu and add new lunch offerings that emphasize traditional home-cooked dishes.
If the right wine partnership comes together, Nadia also envisions touches such as champagne with strawberries and breakfast mimosas.
Her daughter Katerina Crawford, founder of the Comenium Czech-Slovak School and a teacher, serves as the family’s cultural manager. She plans to organize events designed to celebrate and preserve Czech and Slovak traditions and customs.
Food, however, will remain at the heart of everything at the new Four Green Cats Cafe in Haddonfield.
Nadia’s recipes draw on the culinary heritage of her great-grandmother, Katerina. Her approach emphasizes handmade, homemade food made with imported European flour, quality butter, and ghee, with no preservatives.
Natural sourdough fermentation plays an important role in her doughs and pastries, contributing to the flavor and texture that Four Green Cats regulars have come to recognize.
Her pastries tend to favor subtle spices and restrained sweetness rather than being overly sugary.
And don’t worry, the favorites aren’t going anywhere.
The Bohemian Donuts, traditional kolaches, Johnny Biscuits, apple strudel, German bread pudding, and babka that helped build Four Green Cats’ following will all have a place at the Grand Salon.
A New Chapter
Four Green Cats is currently hiring for Haddonfield, including baristas, chefs, and a pastry chef, and Nadia is particularly interested in inviting culinary students to join the team.
As I listened to Nadia talk about everything she hopes to create, I kept thinking about how far this journey has taken her. From the Czech Republic to America, becoming an entrepreneur once again.
From a rented oven during the pandemic to a tiny cafe in Rancocas Woods that became so popular it could no longer contain the business.
And now, her journey continues with a Grand Salon in Haddonfield that will fully celebrate her Czech heritage. It sounds lovely, doesn’t it?
Nadia’s story reminds us that dreaming has no expiration date. Sometimes the path takes longer than expected, with so many twists, turns, and unexpected outcomes. But we can never give up; we can keep moving boldly toward our dreams.
I went into our conversation expecting to learn more about Four Green Cats and their move to Haddonfield. I came away feeling like I understood Nadia a little better and found a new friend in the process.
That’s the best part of doing this work. Occasionally, I meet someone whose story makes me put down the notepad for a moment and listen, completely enthralled by their story, and happy to tell it. Nadia is an empowered woman who won’t quit, and that is truly inspiring. She is a proud woman who has every right to be. She is bringing something wonderful to South Jersey we don’t have.
Nadia is hoping to open the new Four Green Cats location in mid-September 2026. Of course, stay tuned here for updates as it progresses and for grand reveal coverage when it opens.
SJFS is dedicated to food, dining, restaurants, and drinking in South Jersey. Got a news tip? Email southjerseyfoodscene@gmail.com.