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Sometimes the most meaningful encounters happen where you least expect them. You arrive at a forum planning to listen to speakers and cover the event, only to leave wanting to tell the story of someone you have just met. That was exactly how I felt after meeting Rafik Sinanyan, Executive Chef of Marush Kitchen, during ProFood Armenia 2026, where he was leading a collaborative four-hands masterclass. Even then, it was obvious that behind his successful career lay something much greater than professional achievement alone.

That is why, after the forum, I invited Rafik to meet again, this time away from the stage and the audience. A few days later, we sat down at Marush Kitchen, located almost in the heart of Yerevan. Our conversation began with food but quickly moved far beyond the kitchen.

From IT to Gastronomy

"Most people know me as a chef, but very few know that before entering the culinary world, I worked in the IT industry. It was a time when Armenia's technology sector was only beginning to develop rapidly. I had excellent career prospects, but eventually I realized I was missing the most important thing: the feeling of truly living and constantly moving forward. I never found the excitement there that I later discovered in the kitchen.

Everything changed after I watched one of Sedrak Mamulyan's television programs about Armenian cuisine. That was the first time I truly understood the depth of our gastronomic heritage, how many ancient dishes have survived to this day, and how much history and culture they carry within them. After that, I met Sedrak Mamulyan personally and realized this was the profession I wanted to dedicate my life to.

Today, my work is my life, and the kitchen has become my second home. My greatest source of inspiration is the look in my guests' eyes. When I see their emotions, that's what gives me the strength to keep moving forward. Criticism also helps me become better. My only competitor is myself. Every day I strive to become better than I was yesterday."

Every Cuisine Begins With Your Own Culture

"In my opinion, every Armenian chef, no matter where they work, should first have a deep understanding of Armenian cuisine. It should be as natural as knowing your native language.

You cannot truly master another country's cuisine without first understanding your own culinary culture. You need to know its foundations, traditions, history, and the dishes that have been passed down through generations.

That is why my journey began at the Armenian Culinary Traditions Preservation and Development NGO, where I studied at Sedrak Mamulyan's culinary studio. Only after that did I begin exploring the cuisines of other countries.

Later, I had the opportunity to work alongside chefs from nearly ten countries, including Japan, China, Portugal, Vietnam, Thailand, Russia, England, India and Sri Lanka. Each of them taught me something valuable.

That experience eventually made it possible for me to create the projects we're talking about today."

The Architect Behind Restaurants

Today, Rafik Sinanyan oversees restaurant projects from the moment an idea is born until the day the doors open. He helps shape the concept, designs kitchens and production areas, plans workflow and workstations, selects equipment, tableware and furnishings, assembles the team, and only then begins developing the menu. To date, he has been behind nearly ten restaurant concepts, each built around its own philosophy.

Pictured: The kitchen design for Pane Café Bakery.

Everything begins with a small idea. It's very much like waiting for a child to be born. Long before the child arrives, you already imagine what they'll be like. A restaurant is no different. Before it exists, you already see it in your mind. You imagine the atmosphere, the walls, the feeling the space will create, and how people will experience it. The entire picture already exists in your head. And yet, despite all of that, you still can't wait for opening day, when you finally walk into the kitchen, begin working, and test all the ideas that previously existed only on paper. That feeling is incredibly difficult to describe. You can't buy it with money. It only comes from walking the entire journey yourself, from the very first idea to its realization."

That is how many projects that have since become landmarks on Armenia's culinary map were born, including Yang, a pan-Asian restaurant; Sirelis, a contemporary interpretation of Soviet-era Yerevan gastronomy; Mounthree, built around the local ingredients of Armenia's Lori Province; the Sarin family complex; Pane Café Bakery; and Marush Kitchen, which celebrates the cuisines of the Mediterranean.

Pictured: Mounthree Hotel, surrounded by the nature of Lori Province.

I was the founding chef behind all of these projects and personally designed each kitchen from the ground up. Naturally, some concepts have evolved over time, while others continue to operate successfully. For me, that's the clearest indication that the original concept was built on a solid foundation.

Pictured: Sarin Restaurant at the foot of Mount Hatis.

Recognition Comes With Responsibility

Recently, I've had the opportunity to serve as a judge at several culinary festivals. It was a great honor to stand alongside some of Armenia's finest chefs and evaluate the participants. I served on the judging panel of the Armenian-Iranian Culinary Festival in Sisian, where I was later awarded a medal. Then, on July 17, 2023, I also served as a judge at the Armenian-Georgian Culinary Festival in Dilijan.

In December 2025, the Armenian Culinary Traditions Preservation and Development NGO awarded Sinanyan the title of Best Chef of Armenia. For me, it was an enormous honor. But recognition also brings great responsibility. When you receive an honor like that, you realize you have an obligation to keep learning, to continue growing professionally, and to do everything you can to contribute to the development of Armenia's culinary culture.

Later, I was featured in a book dedicated to Armenia's 50 Best Chefs, which was published on October 10, 2023. It was a great honor to be included in this publication, as it tells the professional stories and career journeys of the country's leading chefs.

A Chef's Philosophy

The kitchen is much more than simply a place where food is prepared. It's a space filled with energy. If you enter it with love and respect for what you do, people can feel it. Sometimes you walk into a restaurant where everything is technically perfect, yet you feel nothing. And sometimes the opposite happens: you step inside and fall in love with the atmosphere almost immediately.

Pictured: Behind the scenes at Marush Kitchen.

The most important thing people should receive when they come to a restaurant is emotion. That experience begins long before the first dish reaches the table. It starts with the interior, the lighting, the music, and every little detail. My job isn't simply to feed people. My job is to leave them with an impression they'll remember.

People are customers when they go to a supermarket. They're customers when they buy shoes. They're customers when they use a bank's services. But when they come to a restaurant, they become guests. A restaurant is a space we create the same way we would create our own home. We invite people into it. That's why everyone who walks through our doors is, first and foremost, our guest.

Liana Aghajanyan

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