ELEVATE STREET FOOD
An Armenian street food concept that made the leap into fine dining, Ichkhanian is a traditional bakery, located in Beirut and Zalka that has been operating for nearly 70 years. Founder, Yeghia Ichkhanian’s ultimate dream was to introduce traditional Armenian culinary arts to Beirut in 1946. That aim was passed on to his grandson, Elie Ichkhanian, who continues to make delicious ‘lahmadjuns’ and ‘tahinov hatz’ with the same enthusiasm as his grandfather. “There is no secret recipe, just a traditional pastry made with a lot of love, sizzled with a squeeze of lemon, and rolled to perfection for an unforgettable taste,” he said. This year, Ichkhanian took a bold new step by opening Nour – Fine Armenian Cuisine in Beirut to complement their original concept. “Street food should carry its quintessential simplicity into the fine-dine space,” said Ichkhanian. “The crossover was just waiting to happen. For too long, consumers have ignored this segment, but I believe the transition is easy and was inevitably going to take place.” When asked what the next 70 years could bring, Ichkahnian responded by saying, “We need some of these new young chefs to take a risk and bring the classics into the 21st century. The cuisine should be as accessible as Italian or Japanese food, instead of only concentrated in the Middle East. I've yet to find a restaurant outside our region that compares with home cooking, but that’s true of any ethnic cuisine, isn’t it?”