The Armenian Mirror Spectator daily wrote an article about Armenian-American Educator Nancy Kalajian:
“Kalajian, a journalist in the Armenian- American community, took a course titled, “Recipe for America: New York, Immigration and American Identity through Culinary Culture.” Kalajian was among 25 participants from across the country attending a special institute set up for teachers dealing with matters of immigration, assimilation and food culture in New York City during the 19th and 20th centuries. More than 200 applications were received. Kalajian was the only resident from Massachusetts to win the honor and one of only two from New England. To apply to the institute, Kalajian prepared an essay and secured references from two school administrators from Tewksbury Public Schools, where she works as a Title I reading teacher for third and fourth graders.
The institute was hosted by the New York Public Library (NYPL) and was presented in conjunction with “Lunch Hour,” an NYPL exhibition about food in New York City which draws from the library’s vast materials, including its cookbook and menu collections.
The program addressed cultural traditions, the formation of ethnic neighborhoods and interactions with the broader American culture. Kalajian has taught elementary age students for more than 20 years, including a four- year stint overseas at American International Schools in Germany and Egypt. She has also worked in school publishing where she wrote teacher manuals for reading programs. Occasionally, she writes food, education, arts and human interest-orientated articles as a freelance journalist and correspondent for the Armenian Mirror-Spectator and various Boston-based newspapers.
Kalajian is a member of the Culinary Historians of Boston. She also created an Armenian pudding recipe that won third prize in a nationwide “Raisins and Rice Contest.”
