LOVING LAHVOSH
If you’re from the Central Valley, chances are you’re familiar with Valley Lahvosh Baking Company. But did you know that this local favorite is beloved nationwide? Valley Lahvosh is more than just a Saghatelian family tradition in taste—it’s practically an institution. “The Bakery with a Heart” has been baking delectable, quality bread products since 1922 in Downtown Fresno. To meet the growing demand for Lahvosh, it expanded from its humble corner bakery origins to a block-wide production facility in 1985. This year, the Armenian bakery is celebrating a century of making a cook’s favorite cracker for every occasion.
The history of this Fresno bread dates back to 1922 on M Street in the city’s downtown. Its Founder Gazair Saghatelian was a master baker back in his native Armenia. There, he was well-known for creating delicious yet different types of bread and crackerbreads, a craft he brought with him to the United States. A true family business, his relatives have been the cornerstone of the bakery since its inception. Over the years, Gazair’s daughter Janet carried the tradition he set forth there. Today, Janet’s daughter Agnes is continuing the bakery’s legacy and commitment to her grandfather’s recipes with its Lahvosh at the forefront.
But it all started with the Peda. “The story goes that … he created the Peda bread to commemorate his new life coming to America,” divulges Agnes Saghatelian, President & Owner of Valley Lahvosh Baking Company. Gazair brushed the sponge dough with a milk wash, added the coveted circle to the loaf’s center, and sprinkled sesame seeds (a company trademark) atop to make it pretty. Even to this day, Valley Lahvosh’s mouth-watering, freshly baked Valley Peda bread is still baked from scratch. It is, however, only available at the bakery storefront on M Street on Fridays during business hours.
While the hallmark large round Peda Bread is available throughout the year, special holiday shapes are featured in accordance with the occasion: heart loaves and buns on Valentine’s Day, bunny heads and eggs for Easter, pumpkins at Thanksgiving, and Christmas trees and braided wreaths during the holidays. For larger crowds, the Party Punch Peda is the perfect pull-apart solution. Peda Buns and Dinner Rolls make for excellent individual options. For loaves, the Twist and Small Long Pedas, as well as the Lifesaver ring (coated in poppyseeds) are delightful, sliceable selections. Similar in appearance to the Twist, Valley Lahvosh also offers Chorag, an Armenian sweet bread.
But perhaps the most well-known of their offerings is the Cracker Bread, the actual Lahvosh, which is a bakery original and now available in a variety of shapes and sizes. The oversized 15” Cracker Round is designed for “breaking bread” with family and friends. Available in Original or Whole Wheat, as well as a Seasoned Rosemary option, they may be broken for snacking or moistened and then used for wrap sandwiches. Packages of the 15” Rounds include three crackers, while the 10” Rounds come with ten in each sleeve. This slightly smaller size is still great as a bread alternative, and they make a fabulous light and crispy pizza crust. A 5” is easy to adapt into mini pizzas or even dessert cups. The 15”, 10”, and 5” Lahvosh are all still packaged by hand in-house.
The concept of moistening a crackerbread may seem quite unusual for some, but Lahvosh isn’t your typical cracker. “That is the traditional, old-fashioned way. That’s also how they used to make the roll-up caravan sandwiches.” For those unfamiliar with the wetting process, Agnes shares, “You can do this with any size, really, but say the 15”, you literally run it under the faucet—completely drench both sides under running water. Then get a couple of dish towels, get those wet, and lay one down. Put your Lahvosh on top of it, lay the other wet towel on top, and just let it soak for about 20 minutes or so.” The result is a soft, not soggy, thin bread.
In addition to the oversized selections, the traditional Cracker Rounds come in smaller sizes: the 3” is best suited as an hors d’oeuvres base while the 2” wonderfully compliments fine wines, cheeses, and spreads. Bite-size Minis come with just a dash of sea salt for added intrigue, making them perfectly suited for charcuterie boards. Valley Lahvosh’s specialty shapes, like the Stars, are deliciously functional conversation pieces. Christmas Trees crackers are a holiday staple. The Lucky Lahvosh assortment contains Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades that fit right in at a poker party.
But the Hearts stand alone as a fan favorite—no Valley Lahvosh product captures the bakery’s spirit quite like it. After all, the Valley Lahvosh Baking Company logo even features a small heart! Agnes’ mother Janet always had an affinity for hearts and wanted to introduce a heart-shaped cracker. Though the idea was initially met with some hesitation, they’ve been a hit since day one. This popular crackerbread is playful, unique, packed with personality, and enables users to add an element of fun and love to any occasion. Hearts come in one of two flavors: Original or Cinnamon. Janet actually came up with the cinnamon cracker to troubleshoot damaged yet still good product, which was eventually developed into the Cinnamon Heart on shelves today.
The bakery’s name has evolved over the years. Gazair established it as California Baking Company, though it eventually came to be called Valley Bakery. “In the early 1990s, what we were discovering is that as the Lahvosh grew throughout the country, people would say, ‘I want that Lahvosh from Valley’ instead of saying ‘Valley Bakery.’ They were putting ‘Valley Lahvosh’ in front of our product, and it really became known out in the trade that Valley Lahvosh just kind of stuck together,” explains Agnes. So when the branding and packaging were revised in recent years, the decision was made to formally be renamed as Valley Lahvosh Baking Company. Now, the current logo proudly declares it “The Bakery with a Heart.”
Today, a century after first being introduced to the Central Valley, Valley Lahvosh Baking Company retail and foodservice can be found in over 40 states. “My goal was always to get it to 100 years, so now I’m like, ‘Well now what do we do?’ We did that!” Agnes shares with a laugh. “I just want to see it grow. I want to continue to grow the company. We’ve got an amazing crew, an amazing product, and a lot of potential still … I want to keep it going, see what my daughter [Danielle] wants to do because, at some point, I’ll have to, I’ll want to, retire, not for another good 15 or 20 years or so,” she assures while looking forward to the next chapter in the bakery’s future. They say “perfection comes with time,” and now you, too, can experience the perfect crackerbread thanks to Valley Lahvosh.
Editorial Director Lauren Barisic
Photographer Don Dizon
