Yerevan-born Edgar Yeganyan has cooked for 8 years and heads the kitchen at Charles in Yerevan. His interests as a chef are Armenian and French cuisine.
Take a breath, a deep breath. You can’t resist the fresh breeze Yerevan wraps you in. The Armenian spirit will never leave you once you’ve seen its endless horizons, cloudy mountains and hospitable people. Born in picturesque Yerevan, I hold tight to the language, culture and sense of humor of my homeland.
I am Edgar Yeganyan, and I now head the kitchen at Charles. I can confidently say I am far from a typical cook: I’m young and fit, and I don’t keep the secrets of my success. I am what I am, and I’m happy to share a piece of my mood. I feed my guests as if they were my best friends, filling the meals with positive emotions and love.
As a kid I adored football. It filled all my free time, and in fact my whole life back then. Today all that’s left is a bundle of funny memories and bruises. But my nature will never settle down: I keep looking for new tastes, colors and forms.
Where do I find my inspiration? Look around! I am a son of this wonderful land, colorful and friendly, and every single day I am grateful to live and work here.
I’ve been creating meals for 8 years and I’m not tired. My brother also works as a cook and supports me with advice, thoughtful conversations and jokes; humor is always welcome. Of course, like all the great masters, I’m never quite satisfied (just kidding). I build food mosaics in my head before performing them in real life.
Motivation? A satisfied smile on a guest’s face, their approval and their return visits. For me, that’s the highest praise.
As a chef, my interests are focused on Armenian and French cuisine. It might sound crazy, but I think a creative mix of these 2 cultures gives a unique result. The traditions and canons of France meet the best products of the Armenian land, and that synergy is the very taste people come for.
I may sound like a homebody, but in fact I’m not. I travel a lot, discover new countries and feel the real rhythm of life. My heart will always belong to Armenia, and I can hardly imagine being someone else or doing anything other than cooking.
I wish that none of us ever loses the ability to taste life. In life, as in a dish, the spices matter too, not just the main ingredients. Life is given to us from above; all that’s left is to season it with kindness and bright thoughts.
The dish in the photo is the Lamb Roll: a soft, multilayered roll with lamb, eggplant, tomatoes and lamb kidneys.
