Chef Ara Zada talks food, family and field to plate cooking in Inclusive Voices interview
In a conversation with Tamar Kevonian, the chef and Lavash co-author reflects on Armenian cuisine, bow hunting, culinary school and his Food Network competition
GLENDALE, Calif. — Chef Ara Zada came to cooking through curiosity, sharp knives and a family kitchen.
In a new Inclusive Voices interview with Tamar Kevonian, Zada talks about the path that took him from childhood cooking to culinary school, Armenian food, bow hunting, cookbook writing and a new Food Network competition.
Zada, a Los Angeles born chef, author, TV personality and content creator, says food entered his life early. His official biography says he trained at Le Cordon Bleu and built a career exploring different cultures through food.
In the interview, Zada says he started cooking around age five because he wanted to play with knives. His mother gave him a condition. He could only touch a knife if he cooked. So, he started cutting salads and kept cutting until everything turned into something like Shirazi salad.
“I like sharp things,” Zada said.
The conversation also moves into bow hunting, which Zada describes as part of a larger “field to plate” approach. He says he likes to harvest his own meat and feed his family natural, free-range food. He tells Kevonian that archery became a passion after he picked up a bow, bought one the next day and never put it down.
His route to professional cooking did not follow a straight line.
Zada says he first chased music. Then he worked in the family printing business, which made pharmaceutical labels. He says the business offered stability, but not joy. Cooking became the thing he did to decompress after work. He eventually chose culinary school, even though his grandfather pushed back and reminded him that the family already had a profitable business.
“I want to cook,” Zada recalled saying.
That decision led to a broad culinary career. Zada says he received French training but became widely known for Armenian and Middle Eastern food. He calls food both craft and art, and describes it as something meant to be consumed, shared and enjoyed.
“It’s an art form that can be consumed and brought joy,” he said.
That spirit also shapes Lavash, the cookbook Zada co-authored with food writer Kate Leahy and photographer John Lee. The book’s official site describes Lavash as a cookbook that begins with Armenia’s signature bread and expands into soups, stews, grilled meats, vegetables and desserts, with essays and photography that show modern Armenia.
Zada tells Kevonian the team traveled to Armenia and collected recipes village by village. He says that choice helped them avoid presenting one diaspora version of Armenian food as the only version. Instead, they focused on food made in Armenia.
Zada is also one of the chefs competing on Chopped Castaways. Food Network says the series premiered Tuesday, May 12, at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, with chefs using cooking skills and survival instincts to handle mystery basket ingredients.
Zada tells Kevonian he believes he can compete.
“I definitely have the skills to win this competition,” he said. “I have the agility, the mental toughness.
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