Meet Julianne Burk | Management Consultant & Media Contributor

Jul’s Armenian Kitchen (JAK) is a local cooking show with international reach, featuring Armenian recipes from California’s Central Valley. I often describe it as the community cookbook, come to life.

We have a large Armenian population here, and many of our families are from historical Armenia, or modern-day Turkey. The Armenian Genocide decimated these people, so some of the last vestiges of Western Armenian traditions live here in California’s Central Valley, where many of the refugees ended up.

Fresno is the valley’s epicenter, and our food, music, and other cultural expressions are the vessels that carry those traditions. I haven’t come across any mainstream foodways projects that originate in Fresno, which is kind of surprising given our cultural heritage. This is why my tagline, “from Fresno to the world,” emphasizes a geographic location.

That said, representing Fresno’s Armenian food isn’t the only thing that makes JAK different. Another differentiator is our emphasis on personal stories: Jul’s Armenian Kitchen is as much about the people as the food. Set in my kitchen, the main characters are me and my immediate family, along with other home cooks in our community who carry precious family recipes, traditions, and stories from their ancestry. I also feature local Armenian businesses – bakers, restauranteurs, and deli owners – who supply those special delicacies that can be hard to come by, depending on where you live. Each of my three pilot episodes (currently in post-production) features interviews with the guest cooks about their family’s roots and early days in the Valley.

Finally, there’s me. I love the performing arts, so the branding of “Jul” in Jul’s Armenian Kitchen is about me having fun, giving play to my talents, and showing how it’s possible to live a modern life – from small business ownership to caring for aging parents and a bright teenager – while seeking ancestral traditions.

The jingle I sing at the beginning of each episode, “We’re serving tradition, right here in my kitchen, from Fresno to the world,” ties it all together. I sing it rather poorly in the pilot episodes, but if we get good feedback, my brother Alex and I might record it properly someday. (Did I mention that he’s an accomplished songwriter?)

My eldest brother, Alex Marashian, deserves a shoutout for graciously showering Jul’s Armenian Kitchen with his creative genius. Collaborating with Alex has shown me that no artist or entrepreneur can go it alone. The audience may only see one name on a marquis or book cover, but every creator has at least one person who sees the vision and helps bring it to life. In my case, that person is Alex, and I sincerely appreciate his brilliance, hard work, and delicate touch (especially as an older sibling). I also appreciate my wonderful sponsors, OK Produce and Cocola Broadcasting Company. Their financial support has offset some of my production costs, and their confidence is a great motivator.