My obsession with Armenian food stems from my Aunt Mary and Uncle Jack Sherijian’s restaurant, The Peach Tree. I loved going there as a child and (like to many Fresnans at the time) always started with the lentil soup. Mary passed away in December of 2021. During our...
This piece originally appeared on my Instagram page (@julsarmeniankitchen) in 2022. Before my parents got married, their church required a counseling session with the reverend, or Badveli, as we called him. “There’s more than one way to make pilaf” was the key...
I wrote this in July 2019, during my Armenian home cooking apprenticeship with the Alliance for California Traditional Arts as a tribute to my mentor’s late husband, Raffi Bedrossian. Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) Apprenticeship Program It was...
A reflection on childhood meals at The Peach Tree, my Uncle Jack and Aunt Mary Shirejian’s iconic Fresno Armenian restaurant. I arrived at Zee’s home in early January, eager to begin my Alliance for California Traditional Arts apprenticeship and quickly deflated when...
