Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sylvia Tirakian. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Sylvia, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
I am not sure if it is within my DNA, I do know I worked on it as a child, it was my coping mechanism during the civil war in Lebanon. Fear of bombs and full panic had two faces, one the reality and the other sitting and thinking of joyful things that were going to come to my way, even if it meant an ice cream cone.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My family and I moved to US when I was 12 years old. I instantly fell in love in everything American which included jeans and Converse and Nike sneakers. As soon as I graduated high school, my generation was super excited about all things telecommunication which was new to all of us. This led me a degree in Telecommunications Engineering and Management. It was a great career which included teaching in a small four year college.
However, I was always dreaming of something more creative and an opportunity to directly impact other people
through doing something good. This brought me by an “accident” to a food business. I started making fruit preserves in Armenia. Proud to say, this sheer joy project became a work with direct impact to the livelihood of local Armenian farmers, artisan preserve makers and their families. Winner of four international prestigious awards and most importantly highlighting Armenian products in the best of specialty supermarkets throughout US, Europe and Japan. This has allowed me to take part as a United Nations advisor for Armenia. My newest and most joyful project now is cooking as a blogger. It is the cuisine of my ancestors, Eastern Mediterranean cuisine has been with me since my childhood, a time where food, seasons and traditions were not only respected but also celebrated.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Going into the unknown territory of food business required working countless human hours, corporate world had not prepared me to do all things myself. It was difficult, at times discouraging. I think the qualities helped me were the same as the scared child in Beirut. Resilience in difficult moments, patients and positivity. However, the engineer in me was always open to questions, asking industry people for their thoughts and constantly reading and learning.
There is no short cut. Always keep the joy of the destination in your mind and enjoy the journey, knowing you will get there.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I would love to collaborate with any relevant medium in bringing joy and message through cooking and story telling.
Food is the thread that can unite humanity with each other. I believe through food we can teach and learn about each other. This can impact political views, gender and religious biases, teach about geography, cultures. I am in the process of writing a cookbook where I talk about life from a child’s eyes during war. I believe, this is very relevant to today. Children are most impacted victims of war as they do not have any voice.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sylvaalexia.com
- Instagram: sylva.alexia
- Facebook: Sylva Alexia
- Linkedin: Sylvia Tirakian
- Other: tiktok Sylva.Alexia
