Kalustyan's

Kalustyan's today

Kalustyan’s is a shop located at 123 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan, New York City that sells Indian and Middle Eastern spices and foods.[1] Established in 1944[2] by Kalustyan, an Armenian, it sold Turkish and Middle Eastern spices, dried fruits, nuts, oils and grains, when the neighborhood was largely Armenian.[2][3] In late 1960s and 1970s, when New York become home to a significant number of Indians, Kalustyan’s expanded itself to cater to the Indian market, while bringing out its own brand of chutney and mango pickles.[3] The "Curry Hill" neighborhood of New York City is a result of the presence of Kalustyan's.

Kalustyan sold the shop to John Bass, a relative who was an employee. From him, it was purchased by Sayedul Alam and Aziz Osmani, originally from Bangladesh, in 1988.[2] Recently they have added a Kalustyan’s Café,[4] although the Bass family retains the Kalustyan Corporation, a new Jersey based importer.

The building that houses the shop was the site where President Chester A. Arthur was sworn in as president there on September 20, 1881.

123 Lexington Avenue in 1860
Kalustyan's in 1976

History

President Chester A. Arthur and William Randolph Hearst

The building that houses the shop was once owned by President Chester A. Arthur. He was sworn in as president there on September 20, 1881 after James A. Garfield was murdered.[5] In 1885, after his term, Chester Arthur returned to his Lexington Avenue home. He died there in 1886.[6]

William Randolph Hearst bought it in 1902. He lived there with his wife, Millicent, a former vaudeville actress for about six years. Later the building was remodeled for apartments and retail.[7]

Little Armenia

The location where Kalustyan's now stands, is termed "Curry Hill" because of the presence of a large number of Indian restaurants. However a few decades ago it used to be called "Little Armenia" because of a large number of Armenians lived nearby.[8] In 1920s, about eight thousand Armenians lived in New York City and the center of their community was Lexington Avenue and 23rd Street.[9] With rising prosperity, the Armenians gradually moved elsewhere, with Kalustyan's the most visible relic of the Little Armenia in New York City. Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral (East 27th Street between Second and Third Avenues) and gold-domed St. Vartan Cathedral (Second Avenue and 34th Street) still stand in the neighborhood [10]

Kerope Kalustyan came to the US in the 1940s to export steel to Turkey, but the business was unsuccessful. He turned to importing food products from the Middle East and India. In late 1950s a few Indians of Indians coming to the United Nations, whose headquarters opened nearby in 1952. Migration of Indians increased in late 1960 and 1970s, and thus Kalustyan came to be known as a shop for Indian spices.[11]

Emergence of "Curry Hill"

In 1970s, Kalustyan's became the place where Indians often met. They began to open their own spice and sweet shops in the neighborhood, followed by Indian restaurants, and sari, art and appliance stores.[12] The neighborhood, formally Murray Hill, was dubbed "Curry Hill".

Sinha Trading/Foods of India opened across the street run by an Indian family in 1970.[13][14] Shaheen, the first Indian fast-food restaurant in New York at Lexington Avenue and 27th Street was opened in in 1976 [15] by Salam Hamid. It was later closed when many competitors sprouted up in the neighborhood. Curry in a Hurry, which still exits, was the earliest Indian restaurants in Manhattan, established in 1975. [16]

The concentration of Indian restaurants and spice shops has caused the area to be nicknamed "Curry Hill".[17] Madras Mahal, a Kosher Indian vegetarian restaurant was started in 1985.[18] Madras Mahal was the first restaurant that featured Kosher Vegetarian cuisine, which can now be found in several cities and Israel itself. Madras Mahal closed recently in 2015 but Kosher Indian Vegetarian cuisine is served by Dosai, Chennai Garden, Pongal and Kailash Parbat. Othes Indian restaurants include Vatan (Gujarati Vegetarian), Sarvanna Bhavan (South Indian vegetarian), Bhatti Indian Grill, Pippali, Tamba, Dhaba, Anjappar (Chettinad), Lahori Kebabab and Curry Express.

Kalustyan’s was purchased by Sayedul Alam and Aziz Osmani, originally from Bangladesh bought it in 1988 and has continued the tradition. Recently they have added a Kalustyan’s Café.[19]

Current Business

Kalustyan’s has been transformed from an Indian/Armenian/Turkish store to a shop where international food produce and products from 72 countries is sold. About 20 percent of its business is done online.[20] The owners have also expanded into restaurant and deli businesses.

Kalustyan’s is frequently mentioned by food authors in New York Times[21] and by celebrity authors such as Martha Stewart[22] Padma Lakshmi[23] and Madhur Jaffrey [24]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Besonen, Julie (11 December 2015). "Holographic Studios and Kalustyan's Cafe in Kips Bay". New York Times.
  2. 1 2 3 Schrambling, Regina (10 July 2009). "In Curry Hill, Variety- And Bargains- Abound". Edible Manhattan (6).
  3. 1 2 Howe, Marvine (25 August 1985). "Rising rents threatening 'Little India'". New York Times.
  4. ↑ "Kalustyan's Cafe: Extra Spicy". New York.
  5. ↑ Roberts, Sam (29 June 2009). "A Historian Is on a Quest to Locate Lost Events". New York Times.
  6. ↑ The Chester A. Arthur House -- 123 Lexington Avenue, Tom Miller, March 22, 2014
  7. ↑ Holographic Studios and Kalustyan’s Cafe in Kips Bay, Two Good Reasons, JULIE BESONEN DEC. 11, 2015
  8. ↑ Little Armenia, New York, BHAVNA PATEL, The Armenite, MAR 17, 2014
  9. ↑ Foreign-born: A Bulletin of International Service, Young Women's Christian Association of the U.S.A. National Board. Division on work for foreign born women, EditorErla Rodakiewicz, 1920, p. 15
  10. ↑ Growing up as an Armenian American in New York City Between the Two World Wars by Paul Sagsoorian, Ararat, March 8th, 2012
  11. ↑ Kalustyan's, a not-so-Indian shop creates niche clientele among Indians in New York City, Vikram Doctor, ET Bureau Jan 13, 2012
  12. ↑ RISING RENTS THREATENING 'LITTLE INDIA', MARVINE HOWE, New York Times, August 25, 1985
  13. ↑ n Curry Hill, Variety- And Bargains- Abound, Regina Schrambling, Edible Manhattan, July 10, 2009
  14. ↑ The Fabulous Brothers Sinha, Amanda Park Taylor, the L Magazine, 12/07/2005
  15. ↑ Hamid & Sons An immigrant family’s 40-year quest for the American dream Comment, Jennifer Gonnerman, New York Magazine, Sep 29, 2008
  16. ↑ Curry Hill by Farha Ternikar in Savoring Gotham: A Food Lovers Companion to New York City, Andrew F. Smith, Garrett Oliver, Oxford University Press, 2015, p. 157
  17. ↑ THE BEST VEGETARIAN KOSHER INDIAN FOOD IN CURRY HILL!, USED YORK CITY EDIBLESJANUARY 8, 2016
  18. ↑ Indian Kosherification, New York City’s Kosher Indian Restaurants
  19. ↑ Extra Spicy, At Kalustyan’s Café, Adam Platt
  20. ↑ In Curry Hill, Variety- And Bargains- Abound, Regina Schrambling, Edible Manhattan. July 10, 2009
  21. ↑ Food: Unusual Grocery; Reminiscent of a Middle East Bazaar, Store Has a Variety of Whole Grains, August 07, 1963 - By NAN ICKERINGILL
  22. ↑ APRIL 27, 2011, I Love Shopping at Kalustyan's!, Martha Stewart
  23. ↑ CURRYING FLAVOR AT KALUSTYAN’S, Cynthia Killian September 17, 200
  24. ↑ Vegetarian India: A Journey Through the Best of Indian Home Cooking, Madhur Jaffrey, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Oct 27,2015

External links

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