Aline Kamakian: Mayrig
Aline Kamakian is a renowned restaurateur, entrepreneur, author, and founder of Mayrig. Mayrig, which means “mother” in Armenian, Aline’s native language, is one of Beirut’s most beloved restaurants specializing in authentic Armenian cuisine, which she founded in 2003.
As you may know, the city of Beirut was hit with a massive explosion on August 4th of this year that decimated the city, causing at least 190 deaths, 6,500 injuries, and destroying half of the city’s homes and businesses which left 300,000 people homeless.
Located in the heart of Beirut just 500 meters from the blast, Aline found herself in the middle of an unthinkable situation. With her restaurant completely destroyed, team members severely wounded, and no time to even think about the devastation, she has become a hero in her hometown as she works to rebuild the homes of her employees that were lost and feed 2,500 meals a day to those in need.
In this episode, Aline joins from her hometown of Beirut to share stories about her upbringing, how she became interested in food, building a successful hospitality franchise spanning several countries, and the work she’s doing now to help rebuild all that was lost as a result of the explosion. Her story is truly one of passion, perseverance, and resilience and we hope you take away as much as we did during our conversation.
Aline Kamakian: @alinekamakian
Mayrig: @instamayrig
The Founder Hour: @thefounderhour
Pat: @patricktanahan
Posh: @posh
