Yerevan-born Anahit Sargysian learned to love food beside her grandmother in Goris and is now the chef at The Club in Yerevan, a restaurant of Armenian and French cuisine.
My name is Anahit Sargysian, and I know every item on the menu of The Club, a restaurant in Yerevan. I know what every sauce is made of, which spices go into the lamb shank and how your plate is supposed to look. I am the chef at The Club, a place with Armenian and French cuisine and something more.
I was born in Yerevan, a city of rosy and creamy colors, into a family of office workers. As a child, I spent a lot of time with my granny in Goris, a small town with a not very poetic name but extremely poetic landscapes.
That’s how we are: we often compare things, events, people and cities. Goris, for example, is called “little Paris”, but for me it will always be unique. This is where I became fond of food.
“Became fond of food.” It sounds so ordinary and boring, as if only a few people were fond of eating. But I mean something different: a deeper, more conscious fondness. I think it was my granny who cultivated my love of cuisine and cooking.
My granny cooked really tasty dishes. And let’s not shake our heads and say that ALL grannies in the world cook tasty food. Hardly any wedding or big event could do without my granny. She was invited to cook, and I was her indispensable assistant.
I have two degrees, and for 24 years I worked as a financial expert. Jumping ahead, I can say that my second degree, as a vigneron, came in handy at The Club in 2004. And in 1999 I was lucky to join The Wheel Club restaurant as an assistant cook. Only 2 months later, I was the one who needed an assistant, because I had become a cook myself.
John Paul Sax, a real Englishman, was the founder of The Wheel Club and the best teacher. I will never stop thanking him. It took me only 2 years to become a chef.
The Club is a small restaurant with an epicurean concept. I knew people would expect perfection from me, and I was a bit worried. But I was fortunate to meet the French chef Nicolas Natalini. We worked together, and that was my personal school of haute cuisine.
I want you to understand that at The Club we do more than feed hungry people. We celebrate enjoyment with every bite. We took eating out of the realm of necessity and made a real feast of it, where people can feel every side of taste. It is a feast where all guests are welcome, and where every guest will get wine.
We chose a crayfish soup for the shoot. It is traditional Armenian cooking, but with French charm, European presentation and local ingredients.
Do you remember how you should eat this dish? With endless enjoyment!
