Young Armenian chef Artak Sarkysyan spent two years as an apprentice before joining Tatevatun Restaurant. He chose to stay in his native village, where he helps his parents grow vegetables.
It’s so amazing to be young, and so exciting too. When you’re young, the world seems huge, the possibilities seem almost unlimited, and you feel you can achieve anything! I want so much to keep this feeling with me forever. Well, I have no reason to complain so far: I feel young in body, in soul and in my profession.
I’m Artak Sarkysyan, an Armenian chef through and through. And although my experience is still rather limited, I learn passionately every single day.
People often ask me if I always wanted to be a chef. Well, what can I say... Not always, really. What’s more, my first culinary failure was with ordinary scrambled eggs: by a twist of fate, they flew up to the ceiling and shone brightly against the whitewash, which thrilled me.
But seriously, I was always in the kitchen, eager to try and experiment with my hands as well as my tongue. I wanted to create something of my own.
As soon as Tatevatun Restaurant opened near our village, I applied there as an apprentice. It took two long years of probation and tedious waiting before I joined the team of this amazing place. I enjoy my work there so much that I don’t really want anything more. That doesn’t mean I have no ambitions; it just means I’ve found my place.
You know, it often happens that work and vocation don’t coincide. People can spend their lives suffering, wasting their energy and time on strange things. I’m a lucky man, I can say that: my work is my true love and vocation.
I’m not striving to move to a city to conquer the capital or the concrete jungle. I love the fertile Armenian land, which is why I’ve decided to stay and work in my native village. I help my parents grow vegetables and scrumptious greens.
People often ask me how to get the same satisfaction from work as I do. What can I say... I love my work, and I create my dishes only when I’m in a good mood. And the work goes well. That’s the main secret!
