Saturday, March 19, 7:00 pm
Members $90, guests $115

“Zov. It’s a three-letter word that makes my stomach rumble with hunger. In Armenian, it means ‘whirlwind in the ocean.’ But to me, Zov means goddess. Food goddess.”

In the above quote Cathy Thomas of the Orange County Register pretty much summed up the attitude of most foodie-inclined Orange County residents towards Zov Karamardian. An avid collector of ideas and recipes, Zov considers herself an adventurer in the kitchen and, most of all, a pleaser of people. Zov’s fans don’t save her restaurant for special occasions—they come often to savor the unusual spice combinations culled from her Middle Eastern childhood and melting pot American adulthood, and to bask in the warm welcome of the Karamardian family.

Now fans can bring a little Zov into their homes with the publication of Zov: Recipes andMemories from the Heart (Zov’s Publishing). The flavors of the Mediterranean are captured in recipes and photos that evoke Zov’s culinary awakening—back when she first started preparing feasts for her family and friends. Many of the recipes are family secrets that have been passed down through generations. The book is dedicated to her family and to Julia Child, who was her original inspiration and became a close friend and collaborator. The forward is written by best-selling novelist Dean Koontz, who dines at Zov’s Bistro every night (he claims the restaurant is only open Wednesdays through Saturdays to prevent him from moving in). As he once famously wrote in the Hollywood Reporter, “If aliens ever try to abduct me, I will refuse to go—unless Zov caters the mothership.”

Ever since it opened in 1987, Zov’s Bistro has won praise from a diverse range of publications, people, and organizations. OC Metro Magazine dubbed Karamardian “The First Lady of Food.” Former California governor Gray Davis named her California Chef of the Year in 1999. And in 2002 the Beard Foundation presented Karamardian with our Angel Award, recognizing her outstanding charitable contribution to the food industry. That, we believe, really says it all.