Meet Dean Yasharian | Chef / Restaurant Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dean Yasharian and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dean, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
My upbringing and background had a great impact on me as a person as well as a chef, connecting me with the land, farming, hunting and nature. Both of my parents and their families are from Northeast Pennsylvania. When I was born, we moved to the Southern Tier of New York State for my fathers work as dairy farmer. There we lived on the farm and my father managed a large-scale dairy operation. Along with farming dairy cows, we also had pigs, goats, chickens and various other animals. We also farmed crops in the fields and would sell sweetcorn by the side of the road.

After about 10 years, we switched from farming dairy cows to a large-scale beef operation. We were also an avid hunting family, so I developed a love for cooking and eating wild game and spending time in the woods developing a deep connection to nature.

My mother is a great cook and always had a lovely vegetable garden that we would help maintain, plant and harvest. There are 7 children in my family, so my mother was essentially running a restaurant every day. I can remember the good smells of her down-home cooking and helping prepare for meals.

We later moved back to Pennsylvania where I would finish high school and my parents inherited our grandparents farm where my father grew up. He still farms there today along with one of my brothers.

I was strongly impacted by my background and upbringing in many ways. I learned the importance of hard-work and the satisfaction of completing jobs; I developed an understanding of where our food comes from and respecting natures bounty straight from the source; I learned the importance of family through home-cooked meals, eating every night together and going on adventures.

After my childhood, attending college, traveling, training, then becoming a chef, I had a full-circle moment through my work. I was again connected to the land and farming through the food I source and cook for our guests. Life suddenly made sense and I felt I was on the right path as a professional.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business, Perle, was literally formed from true grit, along with passion, experience and perseverance. All I had accomplished in my career up until this point had led me here and it was finally time for me to open my own restaurant.

I learned that opening and operating your own restaurant is one of the most challenging and most rewarding jobs I’ve ever been a part of. You have to sacrifice a lot in your personal and professional life in order to pull it off. You have to have a strong support network, you have to be willing to make very little money, you have to learn how to work through exhaustion, and you have to deliver on the expectations of your guests day in and day out no matter how you feel. You have to have a strong team that embodies your vision and create new visions as you navigate through the ups and downs. You have to love it or you will hate it.

Opening a restaurant is hard enough on its own and the failure rate is extremely high. Most restaurants close their doors in the first 6 months – 1 year. With that said we set the date for our opening week, only to be shut down after 4 days from the Covid-19 pandemic. Our timing literally could not have been worse. We were now facing the worst possible outcome for restaurants in history.

We had to be safe, but we also could not afford to sit back and allow it to blow over. Our life savings were invested and because of our newness, we were ineligible for Covid-relief funding. We started with takeout tasting menus, limited dining, outdoor dining, spaced-out seating, plexiglass-glass divider walls, masks, face-shields and hand sanitizers. We were on the front lines and risked our own health and well-being for the better of the business. We never gave up and we continued to battle through and found ourselves on the other side of the pandemic. I will always be proud of our team, their unselfishness and belief in Perle.

Fast forward to almost 4 years and we are still in operation and pleasing our guests every day. it says a lot about where we started to where we are now. Our shiny Perle was literally formed by grit! We have become a beloved staple in our community and I want to thank everyone who has been involved ands supported us along the way. Our aim was to open a good restaurant in the community in which we live and I wouldn’t change anything in our story.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In a city like Pasadena, there are so many places to explore and visit. My wife is a native Pasadenan – born and raised, and she literally has been everywhere in the city. Some of our favorites are: strolling gardens at the Huntington Library, having afternoon tea at the Langham, spending a day at Kidspace Museum (if you have little ones) is always fun, brunch at Russell’s or Marston’s. We also like Arlington Gardens, hiking the Eaton Canyon trail, and playing golf at Brookside or Altadena Golf Course. Shopping in Old Town Pasadena feels a little like walking around New York City, and you can make a day out of it. Our favorite movie theater, IPic, is in Old Town Pasadena as well. Pasadena has its fair share of restaurants, and maybe I am biased, but I do believe our restaurant, Perle, offers something unique in the city. We would end the trip with dinner at Perle – ordering the tasting menu for the full experience.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to recognize the mentors I had in my professional career that shaped me into the chef I am today.

Kevin Nash – 33East, Williamsport, PA
Kevin Sharkey – Mahi Mahs, Virginia Beach, VA
Zachary Dollak – Star Canyon, Las Vegas, NV
Daniel Clifford – Midsummer House, UK
Daniel Boulud – Restaurant Daniel, NYC
Gordon Ramsay – Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, NYC

Website: https://www.perlerestaurant.com

Instagram: https://www.perlerestaurant.com/instagram

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perlepasadena/

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@perlepasadena

Image Credits
Pauline Yasharian / Perle Restaurant