Gazair Saghatelian arrived in Fresno, Calif., carrying the skills of a master baker trained in Armenia. In 1922, he founded what would become Valley Lahvosh Baking Company, creating the distinctively thin bread he had learned to make in his homeland. His daughter, Janet, grew up in the bakery, learning the recipes and rhythms of the work. In 1982, she became president of the company.
In 2010, Janet's daughter Agnes took over as president, becoming the third generation to run the bakery.
Gazair Saghatelian arrived in Fresno, Calif., carrying the skills of a master baker trained in Armenia. In 1922, he founded what would become Valley Lahvosh Baking Company, creating the distinctively thin bread he had learned to make in his homeland. His daughter, Janet, grew up in the bakery, learning the recipes and rhythms of the work. In 1982, she became president of the company.
In 2010, Janet's daughter Agnes took over as president, becoming the third generation to run the bakery. More than a century after Gazair founded the company, Valley Lahvosh still operates from its original location in Fresno, baking the same Armenian breads her grandfather introduced to California.
