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GEORGE KOROYAN: BACK IN BUSINESS IN SELMA
Hanford Sentinel
March 13 2013
March 13, 2013 7:15 am ~U By Felicia Cousart Matlosz
As word spread that George Koroyan was back in the restaurant business,
his customers have been coming to find him - in Selma. For years,
Koroyan established himself as the purveyor of Armenian food in
Fresno. His flair with dishes, such as shish kebab, lamb shanks and
moussaka, attracted appreciative diners.
He had come to Fresno from his native Soviet Armenia, with his wife,
their daughter and his mother and father. His brother and his family
followed. He opened his first George's Shish Kebab restaurant at
Ventura Avenue and L Street in the late 1970s and then, in 1986,
moved into a modern space in the Galleria. There also is a George's
on Blackstone Avenue, south of Herndon Avenue.
By the mid-2000s, though, Koroyan decided to step away from the
business, leaving them in the hands of relatives. Instead, Koroyan
went into the medical field, with an adult day health care facility.
The only problem? He didn't have enough to do.
"I said, 'Well, I've got to do something,'" Koroyan recalled.
He found the opportunity to return to the restaurant business in Selma
and decided to take over the former Hye Street Grill at High and First
streets, renaming it George's Hye Street Grill. His longtime cook,
Gerardo O. Diaz, was already working there.
Koroyan, 66, has been back in the restaurant business since last May.
The menu offers Armenian, Mediterranean and American dishes. His
wife, Iskouhie, still helps by preparing dishes such as the dessert,
baklava. Diaz said Koroyan is "the best boss" and added: "He's a
smart guy ... We've learned a lot from him."
Old and new customers are finding him. People like Joan and Herb
Markarian, who live in Fowler. On a recent afternoon, Joan came in
to pick up orders to go. She said they have been longtime diners at
George's restaurants. The cuisine "is like mama-made. It's good food,"
Joan said.
And now, "he comes to Selma. That's wonderful," she said. "It's made
it convenient for us. It's made us very happy."
Other customers that afternoon said "Thank you, George" or "It was
really good" as they left after eating lunch.
Koroyan is happy, too. The restaurant has large windows and an entrance
right off the sidewalk.
"This is a good corner. I like the open windows, the open kitchen. I
can see people. I talk to people. George is in action again," he said,
with a smile.
Ask Koroyan why he's such a talented chef, and he'll only shyly smile
and shrug his shoulders.
But the late Madeline Davidson, the Fresno Bee's esteemed food writer,
wrote in 1991: "Mention Armenian food in this town and someone is
sure to pop up with the name, 'George's.'"
"Fact is, you're so used to George's being synonymous with Armenian
food that you'd guess George Koroyan has been around forever,"
she wrote.
Even the celebrated dropped in, including entertainers such as
Carol Channing and actors like Pat Morita and Marla Gibbs. Some
of these photos now grace the walls of his Selma restaurant. The
family memorabilia includes an autograph from chef Art Ginsburg,
better known as Mr. Food, to Koroyan's wife with his signature phrase,
"Ooh, it's so good!!" There's also a newspaper clipping of an interview
with Blackie Gejeian, longtime promoter of the Fresno Autorama. When
asked what was his favorite restaurant, he replied: "George's."
Koroyan, who still cooks in the kitchen, believes in focusing on
customer service to create a friendly dining atmosphere. Folks are
coming from Fresno, Visalia, Madera and other cities to savor his
food. And, he's enjoying getting to know the Selma residents who also
are coming through the doors.
"They're nice people, good people," Koroyan said.
http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/selma_enterprise/news/george-koroyan-back-in-business-in-selma/article_9385e156-8b62-11e2-b8a0-0019bb2963f4.html
Hanford Sentinel
March 13 2013
March 13, 2013 7:15 am ~U By Felicia Cousart Matlosz
As word spread that George Koroyan was back in the restaurant business,
his customers have been coming to find him - in Selma. For years,
Koroyan established himself as the purveyor of Armenian food in
Fresno. His flair with dishes, such as shish kebab, lamb shanks and
moussaka, attracted appreciative diners.
He had come to Fresno from his native Soviet Armenia, with his wife,
their daughter and his mother and father. His brother and his family
followed. He opened his first George's Shish Kebab restaurant at
Ventura Avenue and L Street in the late 1970s and then, in 1986,
moved into a modern space in the Galleria. There also is a George's
on Blackstone Avenue, south of Herndon Avenue.
By the mid-2000s, though, Koroyan decided to step away from the
business, leaving them in the hands of relatives. Instead, Koroyan
went into the medical field, with an adult day health care facility.
The only problem? He didn't have enough to do.
"I said, 'Well, I've got to do something,'" Koroyan recalled.
He found the opportunity to return to the restaurant business in Selma
and decided to take over the former Hye Street Grill at High and First
streets, renaming it George's Hye Street Grill. His longtime cook,
Gerardo O. Diaz, was already working there.
Koroyan, 66, has been back in the restaurant business since last May.
The menu offers Armenian, Mediterranean and American dishes. His
wife, Iskouhie, still helps by preparing dishes such as the dessert,
baklava. Diaz said Koroyan is "the best boss" and added: "He's a
smart guy ... We've learned a lot from him."
Old and new customers are finding him. People like Joan and Herb
Markarian, who live in Fowler. On a recent afternoon, Joan came in
to pick up orders to go. She said they have been longtime diners at
George's restaurants. The cuisine "is like mama-made. It's good food,"
Joan said.
And now, "he comes to Selma. That's wonderful," she said. "It's made
it convenient for us. It's made us very happy."
Other customers that afternoon said "Thank you, George" or "It was
really good" as they left after eating lunch.
Koroyan is happy, too. The restaurant has large windows and an entrance
right off the sidewalk.
"This is a good corner. I like the open windows, the open kitchen. I
can see people. I talk to people. George is in action again," he said,
with a smile.
Ask Koroyan why he's such a talented chef, and he'll only shyly smile
and shrug his shoulders.
But the late Madeline Davidson, the Fresno Bee's esteemed food writer,
wrote in 1991: "Mention Armenian food in this town and someone is
sure to pop up with the name, 'George's.'"
"Fact is, you're so used to George's being synonymous with Armenian
food that you'd guess George Koroyan has been around forever,"
she wrote.
Even the celebrated dropped in, including entertainers such as
Carol Channing and actors like Pat Morita and Marla Gibbs. Some
of these photos now grace the walls of his Selma restaurant. The
family memorabilia includes an autograph from chef Art Ginsburg,
better known as Mr. Food, to Koroyan's wife with his signature phrase,
"Ooh, it's so good!!" There's also a newspaper clipping of an interview
with Blackie Gejeian, longtime promoter of the Fresno Autorama. When
asked what was his favorite restaurant, he replied: "George's."
Koroyan, who still cooks in the kitchen, believes in focusing on
customer service to create a friendly dining atmosphere. Folks are
coming from Fresno, Visalia, Madera and other cities to savor his
food. And, he's enjoying getting to know the Selma residents who also
are coming through the doors.
"They're nice people, good people," Koroyan said.
http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/selma_enterprise/news/george-koroyan-back-in-business-in-selma/article_9385e156-8b62-11e2-b8a0-0019bb2963f4.html