DINE AROUND THE WORLD - MEDITERRANEAN (FAST CASUAL)
Overview
Expand your palate as you explore Mediterranean bites with a friendly, curious dining crew, perfect for food lovers craving flavorful culture and community.
Details
I will bring the Adopt-A-Family gifts for your help with tagging and wrapping.
"You have to taste a culture to understand it."
- Deborah Cater
We’re exploring the world – and letting our taste buds be our guide. Join other culinary Explorers for this monthly dinner series that will transport you on edible adventures to various countries, locations, and cuisines. Sample an ethnic dish or new cuisine you’ve never tasted before. Experience other cultures through the international language of food. Break bread – or, in this case, pita - around our communal table as we enjoy the food of the Mediterranean
6:30 p.m. - Meet at Zankou
Zankou
18541 Beach Blvd
Huntington Beach, CA
https://zankouchicken.com/
## "Rooted in Armenia. Born in Lebanon. Raised in Los Angeles."
"Picture Beirut in 1962, the “Paris of the Middle East” – vibrant, radiant, and a culinary paradise. But for Vartkes Iskenderian, stuck running a dingy pinball arcade, it was a grind to support his wife, Margaret, and their three kids. Hungry for more, he gambled everything on a tiny chicken joint, slaving over a rotisserie oven until he achieved golden, crispy perfection. He dubbed it “Zankou,” after a tiny Armenian river, hoping it’d be his big break.
At first, it flopped. Zankou sold only two chickens the first day it opened.
Then, word spread. Locals swarmed, snagging their chicken fix for hearty feasts. Margaret’s zingy garlic sauce, toum, made every bite legendary. Zankou became Beirut’s hottest buzz. Until paradise crashed by the ’70s – civil war hit, and the Iskenderians fled to the USA. Vartkes and Margaret doubted Americans would like their food, but their son Mardiros said, “carpe diem”. In 1984, he brought Zankou to Hollywood, adding juicy shawerma and golden falafel to the menu.
From a scrappy, hole-in-the-wall, it soared. Now, Mardiros’ wife and their four sons run a growing chain. A SoCal icon, Zankou continues dishing delicious, wallet-friendly eats. It’s fast-casual Armenian and Lebanese with soul." - There's so much more to this story. Remind me and I'll spill the tea.