"As a teen-ager in his native Macedonia, a part of what was then Yugoslavia, Klimé Kovaceski dreamed of becoming a rock star, studiously mastering the licks of guitar idols Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. When New Wave music became popular in the late 1970s, he and his bandmates were huge fans of Iggy Pop, the American avant-garde performer whose shirtless, frenetic stage presence embodied a freedom absent from their communist country."

"Indeed, to interview Kovaceski is to play audience to unabashed, gushing testimony to the American dream. Kovaceski’s eyes widen as he tells of getting to serve a meal to boyhood idol Iggy Pop, who has recently been spending time in Miami Beach. As a favor to Kovaceski, Pop even called one of Kovaceski’s old band members (Goran Trajkoski) back in Macedonia one recent night from the restaurant. “It’s incredible, really,” Kovaceski says. “That I could come to this country in 1984 and now own a restaurant and have all these wonderful friends.”

"Melting Pot" By John Finotti, 2/1/2001 - Florida Trand