Hannah’s Story: Escape from Genocide in Turkey to Success in America

By Hannah Kalajian, as told to Bernadine Sullivan

Millions of Americans know Hannah Kalajian as the Armenian immigrant who brought rice pilaf to American cuisine and at the same time developed a tremendously successful company, Near East Food Products. In this absorbing and inspiring memoir, Hannah Kalajian relates the story of her childhood in the small village of Duzce, Turkey; her flight from home in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide; and the lonely journey that brought her, a young girl of thirteen, to New York City to face the challenges of a new life.

Hannah's story illustrates the remarkable resiliency of the human spirit. the stubborn courage that persists through misfortune and sorrow, and the determination that can make dreams become reality. through it all Hannah Kalajian never loses her send of humor, her refusal to be defeated by circumstances, and her respect for human values.

Armenian Heritage Press (1990)