Kalustyan's
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Kalustyan’s is a shop located at 123 Lexington Avenue,
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, New York City, that originally sold primarily Middle Eastern spices and foods and, increasingly, an extensive selection of culinary products from around the world. Established in 1944 by Kerope Kalustyan, an Armenian from Turkey, it sold Turkish and Middle Eastern spices, dried fruits, nuts, oils and grains, when the neighborhood was largely
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
. In the late 1960s and 1970s, when New York became home to a significant number of
Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...
, Kalustyan's expanded itself to cater to the Indian market, while bringing out its own brand of
chutney A chutney () is a spread typically associated with cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt, or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion ...
and mango pickles.


History


Presidential town house

The building was originally built for
Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was the 21st president of the United States, serving from 1881 to 1885. He was a Republican from New York who previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A. ...
, in the 1860s. He was
inaugurated In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inau ...
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
on an upper floor, and he signed the Civil Service act there. After his death, it was sold to a young
William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper publisher and politician who developed the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His extravagant methods of yellow jou ...
, who ran the ''
New York Journal :''Includes coverage of New York Journal-American and its predecessors New York Journal, The Journal, New York American and New York Evening Journal'' The ''New York Journal-American'' was a daily newspaper published in New York City from 1937 ...
'' from there. During the 1910s, the inhabitants of the neighborhood became less wealthy and white.


Little Armenia

Kerope Kalustyan came to the US in the 1940s from
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
to export steel to Turkey, but the business was unsuccessful. He turned to import food products from the Middle East and India. The location was at the time known as ''Little Armenia''. In the 1920s, about eight thousand Armenians lived in New York City and the center of their community was Lexington Avenue and 23rd Street. With rising prosperity, the Armenian community gradually moved elsewhere, with Kalustyan's the most visible relic. The Armenian Evangelical Church of New York (East 34th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues), Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral (East 27th Street between Second and Third Avenues) and the gold-domed St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral (Second Avenue and 34th Street) still stand in the neighborhood.


Emergence of "Curry Hill"

Migration of Indians increased in the late 1960s and 1970s, and Kalustyan's came to be well-regarded as a store for Indian spices. The store became a popular place for Indians to meet. As many Indian immigrants opened their own spice and sweets stores in the neighborhood, followed by Indian restaurants, clothing, art and appliance stores, the neighborhood, known primarily as Murray Hill, was nicknamed "Curry Hill" aka "Little India".


Current business

Kalustyan eventually sold the shop to John Bas, a relative and employee. In 1988 the Kalustyan’s store was purchased by Bangladeshi businessmen Sayedul Alam and Aziz Osmani, who transformed the shop from an Indian/Armenian/Turkish store to one with over 10,000 food products from over 80 countries, and added an eat-in café/deli on the second floor. Bas later founded the Kalustyan Corporation, a New Jersey–based importer. Kalustyan’s is frequently mentioned by food writers in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' and by celebrity authors such as
Martha Stewart Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail business woman, writer, and television personality. As the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, focusing on home and hospitality, she gained success through a variety ...
,
Padma Lakshmi Padma Parvati Lakshmi (; née Vaidynathan; born September 1, 1970) is an American television host, model, author, businesswoman, and activist. She rose to prominence by hosting the Bravo cooking competition program '' Top Chef'' (2006–2023). ...
, and
Madhur Jaffrey Madhur Jaffrey Order of the British Empire, CBE (née Bahadur; born 13 August 1933) is an Indian-born British-American actress, cookbook and travel writer, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing Indian cuisine to the weste ...
.


See also

*
Armenian cuisine Armenian cuisine () includes the foods and cooking techniques of the Armenians, Armenian people and traditional Armenian foods and drinks. The cuisine reflects the history and geography where Armenians have lived and where Armenian empires exi ...
*
Indian cuisine Indian cuisine consists of a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to the Indian subcontinent. Given the diversity in soil, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially and use locally av ...
* Indians in New York


References


External links


Official Kalustyan's website
{{Coord, 40, 44, 34, N, 73, 58, 55, W, type:landmark_region:US-NY, display=title 1944 establishments in New York City Culture of New York City Armenian-American culture in New York City Chester A. Arthur Rose Hill, Manhattan