Vartanantz Day Celebrated in South Florida
Members of the Knights of Vartan, Hayasdan Lodge at St. David Armenian Church.
BOCA RATON, FL – Last month, the Knights of Vartan, Hayasdan Lodge, in collaboration with St. Mary & St. David Armenian Churches of South Florida, held their annual Vartanantz Day celebration. The celebration marks the anniversary of the historic Battle of Avarayr, where 10,000 Armenian troops battled 300,000 Persians in a fight to defend the Armenian homeland, the first Christian nation, from the invading Zoroastrian Persian army. Vartan Mamigonian, for whom the day and organization are named, was the prince of Armenia and military general who led the fight and died for his faith on the battlefield of Avarayr.
The Knights of Vartan program included a short video presentation about Vartanantz Day, remarks from John Kochkerian, dinner, desert, and singing of Armenian patriotic songs.
Taniel Koushakjian speaking to students at Palm Beach Central High School.
Earlier that day, Arsine Kaloustian, Chair of the Armenian Genocide Commemoration, Inc. and Editor of FLArmenians.com, and Taniel Koushakjian, Founder of FLArmenians.com, gave presentations on the Armenian Genocide and the importance of human rights education to students at Palm Beach Central High School.
Armenian Singer, Songwriter, and Cigar Mogul Avo Uvezian Dies at 91
Avo Uvezian, in his prime, photographed in the Dominican Republic in 1997. Photo Copyright Domingo Batista.
Armenian singer, songwriter, and cigar mogul Avo Uvezian passed away on Friday, March 24, 2017 at his home in Orlando, FL. He was 91.
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Uvezian moved to New York City in 1947, and began a long musical career. However, Avo Uvezian made his name when he launched Avo cigars in 1988 after a distribution deal with Davidoff.
According to Cigar Afficianado, “Known in the cigar industry for his Avo brands and his sharp sense of style, Uvezian was long a vivacious part of the cigar industry, touring in support of his cigars even at 90 years old. A showman and cigar lover, it wasn’t uncommon to see Uvezian play piano at a cigar event while puffing on one of his cigars and waxing poetic about the joys of smoking.”
Avo Uvezian is survived by his wife, Nivia, his sons Robert, Jeffrey and Ronnie, and his daughter Karyn.
Greenhouse Bazaar: A Hidden Gem Found in Greenacres
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!
Lavash is made right on the premises
Would we return? You bet, but I plan to have a chat with the owner to see about stocking some more of our personal favorites!
The Greenhouse Bazaar is located at 5100 10th Ave N, Greenacres, FL 33463. Check out their website here.
Florida Armenians 