A shop dedicated to baklava and Middle Eastern treats just opened in Keller: Called Jojo Baklava Cafe & Sweets, it's a family-owned shop at 9500 Ray White Rd. #127, in a small center at Heritage Trace Parkway.

The shop is from husband-and-wife Ramses and Elaria Sedhom, who moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area from Egypt a decade ago. They named the shop Jojo after the first two letters of their daughters’ names: Josiana and Joneer.

“This is a dream come true for us," Elaria says. "When I lived in Egypt, I used to watch the TV show Friends, and I loved the atmosphere of the coffee shop, of friends sharing moments and creating memories."

Elaria was a Mediterranean chef back home; when she moved to Dallas, she started making baklava for friends.

"I got a lot of compliments, so we started looking for a spot to open the shop," she says.

She offers baklava in five or six varieties, from the basic walnut to hazelnut Nutella, walnut chocolate, and pistachio.

They also do kadaif, a traditional Turkish dessert similar to baklava but which the phylo shredded, vermicelli-style, for extra texture, in varieties such as hazelnut-coconut, triple nut, and pistachio.

Honoring their Egyptian origin, they make traditional bassboosa, a semolina cake with coconut soaked in syrup. The sweet menu also includes cheesecake, rice pudding, and ice cream.

Elaria's enthusiasm is infectious. She loves to create her own original items such as Dubai cake, a clever cake spinoff of the Dubai chocolate bar with pistachio that has become an international viral sensation.

She does a separate menu for breakfast, with muffins, bagels, egg sandwiches, and peanut butter-banana toast. For lunch, they offer pizza and hot dogs, catering for the schools and businesses in the area.

The coffee program includes traditional drinks such as cappuccino, latte, and espresso, plus Turkish coffee and some original drinks: There's a Jojo special drink with coconut milk and pistachio cream; and a pistachio ice cream espresso, with espresso, vanilla ice cream, and pistachio cream. They also serve Boba tea, smoothies, and matcha latte.

The space has some sweet homey touches that help erase its shopping center setting, including cozy velvet chairs, beautiful wood tables, and a mural depicting a larger-than-life baklava, not to mention some festive holiday decorations.

“I like cooking sweets, this is my passion, and now I get to share it with my neighbors," Elaria says.