Meet Alex Arutyunyan of Todo Bien in Glendale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Arutyunyan.

Alex, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up as a kid, one plate was never enough. The gratitude and appreciation of what good food tastes like was embedded early on. I grew up in the kitchen with my Grandma Liza in what seemed like a household of 10 plus people. Daily visits from uncles, cousins, friends, and neighbors was the norm. Countless mezze plates and different variations of proteins and deserts were always on the table up for grabs. My passion for food continued through middle school and high culinary programs but I never viewed food as a career path till the age of 20 (November 2018). At this point, I had zero professional training or experience but ended up submitting my resume to 3 restaurants in Los Angeles.

To my surprise, a sous chef from Jon and Vinnys – (Fairfax) replied and I was scheduled for my first stage that same week. I got the job and within one month transitioned into the Brentwood location to open the new restaurant. Throughout the process I met my current partner Chef Raymundo Moreno. He has been with the restaurant group for 10+ years and has worked with countless other chefs within the industry. We worked on a couple of projects together outside of work and launched what Todo Bien is now in November 2019.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It was a complete career change as far as what my initial plans were. From the get go I was working for some of the best chefs in Los Angeles. Being part of a team during a restaurant opening is a force to be reckoned with.

Please tell us about Todo Bien.
We give our take on a very traditional Birria de Res recipe that Raymundo introduced me to about a year ago. We use the beef throughout the entire menu in the forms of tacos, queso tacos, quesadillas and in consome which is the broth.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Mindest is huge in the restaurant industry. Looking back, I would only tell my self to work harder and stay focused. Although I’m grateful for where I am now, there is always room for growth.

Pricing:

• Todo bien plate ( 2 tacos ), ( 2 queso tacos ), consome $11

Contact Info:

• Address: 100 S Chevy Chase Glendale CA
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/todobienla/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/todo-bien-tacos-de-birria-glendale?osq=tacos

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