North African Cookery

Arto der Haroutunian was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1940 and grew up in the Levant, but came to England with his parents as a child and remained here for most of his life. He studied architecture at Manchester University and established a career designing restaurants, clubs and hotels. In 1970, in partnership with his brother, he opened the first Armenian restaurant in Manchester which eventually became a successful chain of six restaurants and two hotels. He died in 1987 at the untimely age of 47. He is survived by his wife and son who still live in Manchester. His other interests included composing music and translating Turkish, Arab, Persian and Armenian authors. He was a true polymath and his cookery books combined his love of food with his great interest in history and culture.