Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Hairabedian.
Hi Danielle, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My Grandmother, Vartouhi Chelebian aka Mama Rose, started the business in 1972. The original location was located on Reseda and Clark, where Sharky’s is now. If you knew my Grandmother you knew her love language was cooking for people and sharing her food. We are the Home of the Original Pita Wrap. Before our store opened many people didn’t know what pita was. Nearly all our wraps are her original recipe: deli meat of choice, mayonnaise, string cheese, avocado, tomatoes and peppercinnis wrapped up in a pita, as well as our sides such as humous, taboule, spicy eggplant, babaghanoush, grapeleaves, and baklava. As the business got busier, my Grandfather, Mesrob Chelebian aka Baboog, starting getting more involved. He loved greeting the customers, and made it a point to learn simple phrases in new languages in order to make everyone feel welcome. All 5 of their children have worked at the deli, and most of their grandchildren too. Currently my parents, Jan and Esther (daughter of Mesrob and Vartouhi) Tognozzi, run the business, and my sister (Nyree Apik) and I are involved as much as we can. For example, my sister and I help with catering orders, managing the front counter, training staff, scheduling, social media, and finding new products. My Dad does most of the prep, ordering, pick ups, banking, repairs, and everyday logistics. My Mom handles most of the behind the scenes paperwork, recipe development, and payroll. Our store has been around for over 50 years and we love hearing our customers come in and tell us which family member they know, stories about my Grandparents, what they remember about the store from back in the day, and seeing multiple generations from the same family come in. Customers who have moved out of town come in and tell us this was the first stop they had to make when they came back in town.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not always been a smooth road, but it has always been rewarding in a wholesome way. The pandemic was difficult for many reasons including some of our long time suppliers going out of business, and difficulty getting all our products in consistently. As of recently, inflation has been difficult to keep up with, but we strive to keep our quality the same as before and our prices as low as possible!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Tarzana Armenian Grocery & Deli?
When it comes to the food, we have a wide variety for people to choose from whether they are meat lovers, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, etc. Our menu has hardly changed in over 50 years, with the exception of a few new wraps. What sets us apart from others aside from the food we make is the feeling of belonging when you come in. We know most of our regular customers by name and their orders too! We know who is coming in on their lunch break, and who will be coming in depending on the day of the week. People share tidbits of their day with us and we get to follow up with them the next time they’re in. We are proud to be continuing our grandparents legacy, and proud to be introducing Armenian food to non Armenians. We are proud to help introduce Armenian and Mediterranean food to people in the Valley. Our culture is very important to us and food is one of the most meaningful ways to keep our culture strong.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
People can work with us and support us by visiting our store for a quick bite, shopping our grocery section, or placing a catering order for their next event or for their office. People can also share their food pics on Instagram and tag us!
Pricing:
- Sides such as humous, Taboule, eggplant, etc. range from $2-$12 on up depending on the size
- Wraps are anywhere from $10-$16 depending on the meat and size of the wrap
- Grocery items range from $3-$20
- Frozen goods such as lahmajoun, basterma, soujouk, and boreks are around $10-$28
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tagdeli.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarzana.armenian.deli?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TarzanaArmenianDeli?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/YA-w6RRZL3
