FRESNO — “Many of my earliest childhood memories are rooted in the tastes and smells of Armenian food,” says Fresno native Julianne (Juls) Marashian Burk. She is the creator of the new “Jul’s Armenian Kitchen” (JAK), a local Valley PBS cooking show with international reach, featuring Armenian and Middle Eastern recipes from California’s San Joaquin Valley.
“Some of my fondest memories are of eating at The Peach Tree Restaurant, my Uncle Jack and Aunt Mary Shirejian’s popular Fresno restaurant that was located on the northwest corner of Peach and Kings Canyon Road. Starting in the early 1970s, this small family restaurant featured a truly amazing menu of traditional homemade Armenian dishes like lulu kebab, shish kebab, pilaf, sarma, keyma sandwiches, baked lamb shanks, a variety of homemade soups, and especially my Aunt Mary’s famous lentil soup.” she adds. In fact, Woody Laughnan, the celebrated feature writer for the Fresno Bee wrote a weekly column (Dining Out) about the restaurant in 1976 titled, “A Peach of a Restaurant.”
“Everything on the menu but the pastries were made fresh daily, the soups getting an early start, and the pot watched almost constantly. Each day, my Uncle Jack was the master at the grill and broiling. All-American food like hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese and hot pastrami sandwiches were also featured. The restaurant was open 6 days a week and closed on Sundays. My uncle and aunt had three talented children: David, Harry and Karen, all of whom worked at the restaurant. Karen was the hostess and helped Mary serve the food. My uncle and aunt also managed Jack’s Burgers of Easton, California prior to opening The Peach Tree Restaurant,” she said.
“Like many other customers at the time, I began each meal at the Peach Tree with a big bowl of my Aunt Mary’s fragrant lentil soup. I remember it was made with fresh carrots, celery, tomatoes, and a really nice beef broth, and had a distinct flavor that has stayed with me all these years. Sadly, my Aunt Mary passed away in 2021 at the age of 92. At our last meeting, I reminded her about her special lentil soup that I loved so much. She said she was grateful to remember the good times we all shared at their restaurant, and the countless local families and happy customers who came back week after week to enjoy their delicious Armenian fare. Aunt Mary was too ill to remember her recipe in detail when we talked, but I was fortunate to receive a copy from another niece. I reworked her recipe to update some of the ingredients and details, such as ‘a bag of lentils,’ so you can easily make it for your family soon.”
“I also remember winning a Fresno County History Day competition with a story I wrote about my great-grandmother Beatrice’s escape to America after the Armenian Genocide. She arrived in Fresno carrying more than her life, she brought a culinary heritage that flourished in the San Joaquin Valley for many years through her children and grandchildren. As a teenager, I began my own recipe notebook, visiting my relatives and other family friends to record their memories and their favorite Armenian dishes, cooking techniques, and recipes.”
“’Jul’s Armenian Kitchen’ is the community cookbook come-to-life. It’s a cooking show where the chefs are crowd-sourced, where anyone can put forward their signature Armenian dish, and where, as show host, I am actually the student – eager to learn the traditions before it’s too late,” says Juls. “As generations pass, so do their stories, flavors, and recipes, unless we capture and document them. Jul’s Armenian Kitchen celebrates the food and rituals that connect us to our roots, from rolling the perfect chorag dough to picking the finest grape leaves for your sarma or dolma. It is a warm, joyful journey that preserves and shares the culture we love the most, like an Armenian coffee date with your favorite auntie where laughter flows, secrets are shared, and the future is read to you in your coffee cup.”
