Expert in world economics and corporate management, hotel and restaurant business consultant, blogger and director of “Hartak” (Platform) Festival for Exchange of Experience Anna Mazmanyan has always served her successes for the development of various sectors in Armenia. Based in Moscow, she visits Armenia a couple of times a year and undertakes various kinds of initiatives.

Hayern Aysor’s correspondent talked about the businesswoman’s activities and completed projects.

Hayern Aysor: Anna, you put your strengths to the test in various sectors, including tourism, hotel business, the study of culinary arts and more. What have you done to achieve this?

Anna Mazmanyan: I graduated from Moscow State University and studied at the University of Harvard. For many years, I have worked for a bank and other organizations and as a project manager for the Association of Independent Directors. I have great experience in consulting and project implementation. I have worked and gained experience at the world’s top restaurants.

I have always been captivated by the idea of traveling and examining different kinds of dishes. Over time, I realized that anyone can easily get a picture of the history, culture and people of any country by tasting the traditional dishes of the particular country. With this idea in my mind, in 2012, I established the Food Adventures blog where I present the recipes for and photos of traditional Armenian dishes, as well as information about hotels, restaurants and chefs in Armenia for my readers in Russian and English. I also present dishes that are characteristic of provinces in Armenia.

I really wanted to carry out some kind of project that would be related to Armenia and make our country recognizable through the presentation of national dishes. We have great potential that needs to be used properly.

Hayern Aysor: Where do you find the recipes? What is the source of your study?

Anna Mazmanyan: I find it in different ways. I find chefs, villagers or search on the Internet. I even contact chefs in Moscow and ask them to send me recipes so that I can post them on my blog.

Hayern Aysor: Do you monitor the blog? Which countries know about Armenian cuisine?

Anna Mazmanyan: I monitor the blog frequently, and I have noticed that the visitors are mainly from Europe. There are also many visitors from Australia, India, Russia and other countries. In fact, they are non-Armenian, but foreigners who are interested in knowing where Armenia is on the map and what  kind of cuisine it has. This is what motivates them to visit Armenia.

Hayern Aysor: It is safe to say that you promote the development of the tourism sector in Armenia through your activities.

Anna Mazmanyan: You are right. I have been involved in gastro-tourism since 2012. We are currently trying to enhance this branch of tourism in Armenia. I believe the nature in Armenia, the ecologically clean food, Armenian hospitality and our rich and traditional cuisine can allow us to enhance this branch of tourism.

We will start organizing gastro-tours for people who are particularly interested in culinary culture or love to live “tastily”. At first sight, these types of tours might be a little different from the classic tours, but there are additional and extremely modest and interesting stops and visits. Armenian cuisine is diverse, and since gastro-tourism is common around the world, it is in high demand.

Hayern Aysor: Which are the Armenian national dishes that foreign tourists prefer the most?

Anna Mazmanyan: Generally, I escort my tourists to diners where I have been too and am certain that they won’t have any complaints. This is a very important precondition to satisfy the tourist visiting Armenia for the first time.

Tourists are especially impressed with the wide variety of fresh and tasty vegetables in Armenia. They always express admiration and say that they have never seen such diversity of salads and other dishes made with vegetables.

It is very important for tourists to interact with the people of the given country. If you want your country to leave a good impression on them, you need to introduce them to people with positivity. Taking this into account, we are escorted by designers, architects or painters who provide the tourists with additional information about the particular place.

One time, we took a group of tourists to dine with an Armenian family on New Year’s Eve so that they could see how Armenians celebrate the New Year and what traditional dishes they prepare. They made the dishes with the family members and sat around the table as relatives.

These kinds of human contacts link tourists to the given country, and they definitely want to return.

Hayern Aysor: Which Armenian national dishes do you like? Do you preserve the culture of preparing those dishes at home?

Anna Mazmanyan: I love the traditional dishes of Gyumri. I also like the rich cuisine of the Lori Province, especially the various types of foods of Alaverdi. I prepare those dishes for my family from time to time.

On national and church holidays like Easter, New Year, Boun Barekendan and other holidays, there is always a lot of dishes symbolizing the particular holiday.

Living far away from Armenia, it is very important for me to prepare those dishes for my children so that they won’t forget about Armenian culture and history.

Hayern Aysor: Anna, you visit Armenia often and carry out various projects. Do you have any plans to support the people living in Armenia’s bordering regions? After all, it is important to keep their problems in our focus.

Anna Mazmanyan: I have various social programs to help the people living in Armenia’s bordering zones. I always try to be by their side and mitigate their worries. I create conditions for the villagers to be a part of the business sector.

Due to my job, I often visit bordering villages, and I have noticed that there are business-minded people who need our support. I am charmed by the diligence of the residents of Berkaber village in Tavush Province. Despite the hardships, none of them has left the village. They all do something to earn a living. When I found out that Oxfam and One Armenia have been carrying out a major social program for the women of Tavush Province for a couple of years now, I decided to join their initiative. Those organizations build greenhouses and exploit them to solve the issue of employment.

I help the hard-working women sell the fruits and vegetables grown in the greenhouse to restaurants and other places.

Most of the men of the bordering regions have left for abroad in search of jobs, and the women take care of their daily issues alone. So, we need to support them and assure them that everything is going to be fine. Working in those villages amid the shootings is a heroic act, especially when we talk about women. They are motivated, hold discussions and develop working plans.

Interview by Gevorg Chichyan