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When the world shows someone what it has to offer, it takes a special kind of creativity to understand how to capture and share that with others.

That ability to share cultural creativity through food is what Cracked Pepper Bistro and Sanctuary Coffee owner, Chef Vatche Moukhtarian, has done and continues to do through his work in the kitchen.

Born in Lebanon, Moukhtarian and his family fled the Lebanese Civil War, first spending time in Syria, then Greece and Canada before ultimately settling in Fresno.

Though many diners at Cracked Pepper Bistro may not know it, they’d never have the opportunity to dine at Moukhtarian’s establishment were it not for one thing: the weather.

“I guess it was too cold when they visited Chicago,” Moukhtarian said.

Growing up in an Armenian household, Moukhtarian said food was always central.

“In Armenian culture, food is just our way of love,” he said. “Every event, everything we have is based around food.”

 

After experiencing cuisine from around the world by the time his family settled in Fresno, Moukhtarian discovered the then-blossoming Food Network. After enrolling in the San Francisco Culinary Academy, he never looked back.

“To be surrounded by like-minded people really drives you to do better,” he said. “You’re not in competition, but you’re always trying to do better.”

That environment — full of global influences and teaching techniques from around the globe — helped Moukhtarian shape his classic French foundation of cooking. Despite the gourmet roots, Moukhtarian’s flavor influences come from around the world.

“I would say my style is classic French in the background, but a lot of bold flavors,” he said, pointing to Mediterranean, Italian and Asian elements in his cooking.

Fine dining in Fresno

Moukhtarian said that, while fine dining in Fresno is undergoing a demographic shift, he still sees a permanent place for the culinary industry’s highest form of dining.

“I think fine dining is still there — it’s still relevant — but I think it’s going to be more [for] special occasions, anniversaries, birthdays and things like that,” he said.

During the pandemic, which largely ushered in the shift to more a quick-serve and walk-up style of dining — even for full-service, sit-down dining establishments — Moukhtarian leaned on his early culinary instincts, shopping locally and cutting his own steaks in house.

Cracked Pepper Bistro even invested in a dry-aging machine, allowing the restaurant to dry age meat in-house.

“It was a challenge,” he said. “During that period it was also a balance of trying to keep employees employed and still trying to make enough money to pay all of your bills.”

Out of those challenges came the concept for Sanctuary Coffee — a small-batch roasting operation that supplies beans to several establishments in the Valley.

While the work is different, Moukhtarian said the process mirrors the kitchen.

“For me, the transition was very easy because anything we cook we have the Maillard effect — where you’re caramelizing something,” he said.

Differing from the local fine-dining industry, which Moukhtarian said is at its peak in Fresno, specialty coffee shops seem to be on an upward trend, recovering from a time that he said many national chain coffee shops like Starbucks and Dutch Bros Coffee took advantage of a budding market.

Moukhtarian hopes the introduction of Sanctuary Coffee to the Valley adds something that has been missing from many mainstream coffee roasters and shops focusing on lighter blends of coffee.

Moukhtarian and Sanctuary Coffee, however, focus on dark roasts, brewing coffee with a slow heat and allowing grounds to settle at the bottom of the brewing pot — also called a “jazve” or “cezve” — before serving the aromatic brew.

“Just like steak — you can go get a steak anywhere, but if you’re getting a prime steak that was taken care of and cooked correctly — same thing with coffee.”

Sanctuary Coffee is available at Cracked Pepper Bistro and online, and is also sold at AJ’s Armenian Cuisine, Chiffono’s Bakery, Mochilicious and Hungry Hut in Shaver Lake.

Whether it’s coming from behind the grill or behind the roaster, Moukhtarian is guided by the same principle — a love for craft and a deep respect for the people and communities that enjoy it and call it their own.