Category Archives: Food

Palm Beach Post Highlights Armenian Restaurant in Boca Raton

Husband and wife, Nick and Ana Sarkisyan run and own Boca Skewers in Boca Raton, Florida since 2007. They have been planning to expand to other cities per customers’ request. (Photo Courtesy Boca Skewers)

In a recent article entitled, ‘This Boca Raton restaurant is a must-try neighborhood gem,’ Palm Beach Post entertainment reporter Julio Poletti highlights one of only a handful of Armenian-owned restaurants in the State of Florida.

“The Sarkisyans wanted a small, European-style restaurant in a great location. When they found Boca Skewers, with less than 1,000 square feet in the popular Mizner plaza, they thought it was perfect,” Poletti writes.

He goes on to share the menu of various Armenian-style Mediterranean dishes served at Boca Skewers, such as chicken kebab, lamb soltani, tabouli, falafel, and hummus, to name a few.

The article also highlights the founders of Boca Skewers, Nick and Anna Sarkisyan. Originally from Armenia, they lived in New York before settling in Boca Raton a little over a decade ago.

Nick Sarkisyan, owner, said that even when he has left his exact recipes for other family members to do the cooking, the customers will say it doesn’t taste the same. This is why Sarkisyan no longer takes days off. (Photo Courtesy Boca Skewers)

Like most Armenians chefs, Nick Sarkisyan prides himself on doing the majority of the cooking himself, Poletti found. “I can’t trust my grilling with anybody,” Sarkisyan told the Post.

You can read the entire article in the Palm Beach Post here.

Posted in Arts & Culture, Food, General Update, News

Paradise International Foods in Pinellas Park

Jul 13

Posted by Florida Armenians

By Suren Oganessian
FLArmenians Tampa/St. Petersburg Contributor

Choices for authentic Armenian food in Pinellas county, or Florida in general, can be very limited, and delis that carry Armenian products are few and far between. One can find a few Middle Eastern delis in and around St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park which advertise Armenian food along with a host of other ethnic cuisines, but generally speaking these usually are not owned by Armenians and carry very few actual Armenian foods. This was my struggle after moving to Florida from California two and a half years ago. After months of trying out different delis in the area, settling for what I could find, I learned by word of mouth about Paradise International Foods in Largo, not too far from the St. Hagop Armenian Apostolic Church. When I visited, I was amazed to find products I’d not seen since I was in Armenia.

Nestled in the Mission Plaza shopping center on Starkey Road, just past the Bay Care Health Center, Paradise International Foods is truly a hidden gem for those who seek not only Armenian food, but food from other parts of Eastern Europe as well. The shop is family-owned, and managed by Rafael Aladjyan, a Georgian-Armenian from Tbilisi who ran a deli in New York City for 23 years before relocating to Largo, Florida. He and his wife had been in the deli business for so long that it was only natural to take it with them when they relocated.

“I like Largo,” he explained in Armenian. “It’s not quite St. Petersburg and it’s not quite Clearwater, but it’s close enough to both.”

On any given day, the shelves are stocked with hard-to-find Armenian imported goods rarely seen outside of California. Noyan products, lavash, tan drinks, Kilikia and Gyumri beers, and even Jermuk sparkling water adorn their shelves, making it the perfect destination for anyone in the area nostalgic for Armenia. There is always a nice selection of cheeses, from Bulgarian feta to Armenian string cheese, and occasionally they carry delicious Lori cheese imported straight from Armenia’s northern Lori province; the distinctive taste transports me back to the rolling green hills outside Vanadzor. Also not to be ignored is the wine selection, which along with selections from Georgia and elsewhere include sweet wines from Ijevan (Tavush region) and pomegranate wine bottled in Mgravan (Ararat region). The latter come in beautiful pomegranate-shaped bottles that are almost too pretty to throw away afterward.

The deli is locally popular not just with Armenians in the area; they receive a lot of Russian, Ukrainian and Jewish customers as well. Aladjyan prides himself in catering to the Eastern European community in Pinellas. One of their specialties is pilaf, prepared in the Central Asian style which during Soviet times became widely known throughout the USSR. Their desert selections are also very popular, with a lot of variety. It truly is an international paradise.

“We welcome anyone who wants to come to our store, no matter where they are from,” said Aladjyan.

Paradise International Foods is located at 11309 Starkey Rd,, Largo, Florida, and are open seven days a week.

Posted in Food, General Update, News

Greenhouse Bazaar: A Hidden Gem Found in Greenacres

Mar 25

Posted by Florida Armenians

By Robyn Kalajian
FLArmenians Cuisine Contributor

When a Middle Eastern grocery store opened in our hometown of Boynton Beach a few years ago, Doug and I couldn’t have been more pleased. We were able to purchase the must-have Armenian ingredients in order to make our cherished family recipes. The store’s owner, ‘Ken’ had a meat counter, some fresh produce, frozen items, housewares – you name it. He was even planning to have a bakery oven installed for daily-baked pitas, and eventually, a kitchen for freshly prepared food. Sadly, things didn’t turn out as Ken expected and the business came and went after a short two-year run.

With the arrival of more ethnicities requiring the same cooking ingredients as we use, we’re puzzled by the severe shortage of Middle Eastern specialty shops in this area.

Several years ago, Doug and I stumbled upon a place called Green House Bazaar in Greenacres, a suburb of West Palm Beach, and not far from our home. At the time it was a partially open-air produce stand with a sprinkling of Middle Eastern items on their meagerly stocked shelves, and a kebab counter that didn’t seem to have anyone running it. The place was ok, but we never bothered to return … until …

… our friend, Adele Abbott, alerted us to the fact that the Persian-owned Green House Bazaar had been enclosed, still had fresh produce, housed numerous shelves of ‘interesting food items’, a refrigerated and frozen food section including phyllo dough, kadaif dough, etc. – and best of all – the kebab café, which she claimed was very good!

This is the only made-in-Armenia product we found

Doug and I swung by one afternoon to check it out. We were delighted to find lavash, basturma, paklava, and a myriad of ingredients that would be useful in The Armenian Kitchen. They were, however, lacking in products imported from Armenia (we found only one) and items such as prepared lahmajoun and Armenian string cheese.

Our take-out combo plate

Salmon kebab take-out dinner with green rice

While there, we decided to buy two kebab meals-to-go for dinner that night, and are we glad we did! We chose the combo platter with chicken kebab and beef lule kebab, and the second with salmon kebab. Both meals contained salad, rice – white, or green rice, which was studded with fava beans and lots of dill (we got one of each), grilled tomatoes and red peppers, a piece of freshly made lavash, and a side of a garlic-dill sauce. The salads and veggies were particularly fresh –as the produce stand is just steps away from the kitchen!