At Sahag’s Basturma, inside a Los Angeles strip mall, there’s a cured-meat master craftsman: Harry Tashyan. His family, originally from Kayseri, in modern-day Turkey, has been in the basturma business for over 300 years.

Owner Andy Kozanian goes back to Armenia a couple times a year to make sure his Glendale market has the best ingredients stocked for Southern California’s Armenian community. Find shelf-stable products as well as fresh, prepared dishes like lahmajun, tabbouleh, and lavash.

Jack Trosian, owner of Papillon International Bakery, says his business serves comfort food made modern and personal. The signature order at Papillon is the ponchik — a pastry fried with the stuffing already inside it — which, at the bakery, can be filled with traditional fillings or stuffed with things like Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

This restaurant is a hub for Glendale’s diasporic Armenian community. Over a meal with Armenians from Ethiopia, Syria, Armenia, and Lebanon, Samuelsson eats dishes including mujaddara and muhammara.

Alissa Asmarian’s restaurant, Heritage Eatery, highlights recipes inspired by Armenian mothers and grandmothers, plated and served in a gourmet setting. The menu at Heritage Eatery includes dishes like eggplant caviar and ghapama, a beautiful whole pumpkin stuffed with fragrant rice that Asmarian teaches Samuelsson to make.

Armen Martirosyan’s Mid East Tacos offers up Armenian-influenced kebab and falafel tacos and kebab burritos inside LA’s Smorgasburg market. Martirosyan — the son of Mini Kabob co-owners Ovakim and Alvard Martirosyan — hopes to make his family proud. He also shows Samuelsson his favorite off-menu move: Serving kebabs wrapped in lavash in lieu of tortillas.