FRESNO — Alice Vartanian, a resident of Fresno and a native of Lowell, Mass., was featured in the Fresno Bee’s Central Valley Magazine in December 2014. Her family’s favorite classic clam chowder recipe which she has made for more than 45 years was published for the first time at Christmas.
Vartanian, who was married to the late Arthur Vartanian of Fresno, is the mother of Christine Vartanian Datian of Las Vegas, and Steven and Philip Vartanian of Fresno, isknown for her love of entertaining, her creativity, and her outstanding yalanche, dolma, rice and bulgur pilafs, cheese boureg, and specialty cookies, nut breads, gata, Italian biscotti, and specialty desserts, including her celebrated Armenian “shakarishe” cookies she has made for over 40 years. Vartanian, who loves music and plays the piano, remains active and busy and also finds time to work part-time each week. She has been a member of Fresno’s historic Holy Trinity Armenian Church and its Trinity Guild for many years. “I have always taken pride in my family and in making delicious recipes for my husband, children, and our many friends through the years,” she adds. “Our family has a tradition of entertaining friends and celebrating special events and occasions with each other with great food and desserts, so I am proud the Fresno Bee chose to feature one of my best recipes in their popular Christmas edition.”
“My mother Alice and late grandmother, Mrs. Pepay Sarkisian of Lowell and Los Angeles, were talented and exceptionally generous and devoted women and mothers who loved to make memorable recipes for many family holiday celebrations and events. I learned by watching and listening to them laugh, talk (in Armenian and Turkish) and cook in our Fresno kitchen, and they instilled in me a keen attention to detail and interest in Middle Eastern and traditional Armenian recipes, flavors, spices, ingredients, and cooking techniques at an early age,” Alice’s daughter, Christine Vartanian Datian adds. “They cooked with love and experience and that made all the difference…”
To see the recipe, go to http://shopping.fresnobee.com/SS/Page.aspx?secid=149648&pagenum=32&sstarg=&facing=false&
