Run by Three Generations, Zov’s Is All About Family
- Sharon Stello
- 12 minutes ago
- 10 min read
This beloved O.C. restaurant with a coastal Mediterranean menu expands to San Clemente on the cusp of its 40th anniversary.
Right before sunset, golden light bathes the patio at Zov’s newest location in San Clemente, complementing the warmth of hospitality within this beloved Orange County restaurant that’s run by three generations of the Karamardian family.
Set to celebrate its 40th anniversary next year, Zov’s has become an institution in Orange County, with loyal diners who return time and again for the Mediterranean dishes with a coastal California influence. Many of the recipes were passed down through the family of acclaimed chef and co-founder Zov Karamardian. Memories fill each of her mother’s dishes that she shares at the restaurant.
“Cooking is how I express warmth and care. When you put a family recipe on the table, you’re not just serving food, you’re sharing a piece of your history, your culture,” said Zov, who is Armenian American. “These recipes connect me to my mother, my grandmother, my roots. And when I see that connection land with a guest – when they close their eyes after the first bite – that fills me up in a way nothing else does.”
Those dishes – from a mezze platter to grilled kebabs, harissa chicken, a lamb burger and herb-crusted salmon with orzo – are now offered in San Clemente, where the small chain’s fourth location opened in late April, joining the Tustin flagship along with restaurants in Irvine and Newport Coast.
“We were immediately drawn to the charm of San Clemente, especially the downtown district where our restaurant is located,” said Zov’s son, Armen Karamardian, who is the restaurant’s CEO. “The proximity to the beach and the walkability … felt very Mediterranean to us. We wanted to bring our coastal Mediterranean cuisine to San Clemente and create a restaurant environment that was casually upscale and made our guests feel like they were on holiday.”
PHOTO 1: Gary and Zov Karamardian at a catering job. PHOTO 2: Chef Zov Karamardian (left) learned how to cook many family recipes from her mother, Araxi "Roxy" (right). Photos courtesy of Zov's
Building a Legacy
Zov developed a passion for cooking at an early age, learning from the matriarchs of her family.
“My grandmother had the most incredible palate,” she recalled. “Everything she made was extraordinary. I would stand nearby and just watch her … roll grape leaves (and) … prepare stuffed vegetables, her dolma. She was a perfectionist. My mother was a remarkable cook as well: very particular, very precise. And in our home, we were always cooking for guests. Food has always meant family to me. I grew up surrounded by people who loved food, and it became part of who I am.”
As a young woman, Zov lived in San Francisco. There she met Gary Karamardian, who proposed on their first date. “It was an instant connection that I will always cherish,” she said. “When you know, you know – and we knew right away.”
Gary was from Orange County, so after getting married, that’s where the couple settled down. Zov started a catering business out of their Irvine home in the late 1970s.
“Orange County became everything to me,” Zov said. “It’s where I raised my family and built this business from the ground up.”
Zov said catering “was a wonderful way to connect with people and share our food, but there’s something about having a place where guests can come to you – where they can walk through the door and feel at home – that catering simply can’t replicate.”
Eventually, in 1987, the first Zov’s opened in Tustin as a catering location that included a small bistro.
“Opening the restaurant felt like a natural next step,” she said, “a way to create a gathering place built around food and hospitality.”
The Tustin space expanded to add the bakery in 1991 and then grew over the years to its current size, while also adding more locations. And Gary was part of that venture from the beginning.
“He became not just my husband, but my partner in every sense of the word. We married in 1966 and, here we are, celebrating 60 years together,” Zov said. “Family has always been at the center of everything we do. You can feel it when you walk into any of our restaurants. That warmth isn’t something we manufactured; it comes from the way we actually live.”
The family works together to run the business. In addition to their son, Armen, serving as CEO, Zov and Gary’s daughter, Taleene Karamardian, is vice president with a focus on community outreach, hospitality, the overall guest experience and the brand’s creative direction. Meanwhile, Armen’s daughter (Zov and Gary’s granddaughter), Morgan Karamardian, is the brand and training manager, in part working alongside a marketing agency to expand their social media presence.
For Zov, it’s gratifying to have so many family members involved in the enterprise.
“It fills my heart,” she said. “There is such pride in watching your children carry something forward that you built from the ground up; and now my granddaughter, too. It’s about trust, shared purpose and building something meaningful across generations. That’s really what it’s all about. The challenge, of course, is learning to separate business and personal life. When you love the people you work with, the lines can blur. But we navigate it together, just like everything else.”
The flagship Zov's in Tustin. In 1995 on the left, and how it looks today on the right. Photos courtesy of Zov's
All in the Family
Working together toward a common goal is a special opportunity for the Karamardian family.
“There is something incredibly meaningful about having my mother’s name on the door and being the ones who carry that forward every single day,” Taleene said. “It’s not something I take lightly.
“The trust we have for one another is unlike anything you could build with a team of strangers. We complement each other in ways that just work. We’ve grown up together in this business, so we know each other’s strengths intuitively. The challenges that come with working as a family are real, but the foundation of trust makes them navigable. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing.”
Morgan said she’s always been aware of the legacy her grandmother built, but she developed a new appreciation for it after joining the business.
“Growing up around the restaurant, it just felt like a normal part of life,” Morgan said. “But working behind the scenes has allowed me to personally connect with our guests and truly witness the passion and care that goes into everything we do. It’s something I don’t take for granted.
“These aren’t just menu items, they’re the flavors of my childhood and the food that was always at the center of our family gatherings and everyday moments. Being able to share that with our guests makes it feel incredibly personal, and I think that’s something people can taste and feel when they dine with us.”
Asked about their favorite dishes, Armen said his go-tos are the same ones he loved as a kid. “I could eat our mezze platter – hummus, baba ghanoush, lebni, red pepper feta, olives, tabbouleh, Armenian string cheese, muhammara and pita – every meal of the day,” he said. “It’s healthy, flavorful and perfect with a glass of sauvignon blanc or pinot noir.”
Taleene said she cherishes everything on the menu, but always gravitates toward the Moroccan salmon salad. “It has everything I need in one dish: It’s fresh, flavorful (and) satisfying. It’s the kind of meal that makes you feel good while you’re eating it and after,” she said.
A few family dishes that have been on the menu since the beginning are the Golden Lentil Soup, Mom’s Greek Salad, the hummus and muhammara, a dip made with roasted red peppers, walnuts and breadcrumbs.
“The Golden Lentil Soup holds a very special place for me,” Zov said. “It’s homey and comforting in a way that’s hard to describe – it just wraps you up. As for picking a favorite? That’s nearly impossible. Each dish carries a memory.”
In the beginning, Zov followed her mother’s recipes as closely as she could. “But when you’re cooking for a restaurant rather than a family table, volume and demand naturally call for adjustments,” Zov noted. “What never changed was the spirit of those dishes. They still reflect who she was and where we came from. We’ve also woven in coastal California flavors over the years, which feels right given where we’ve built our home and our business.”
In San Clemente, while the core menu is the same, daily specials speak to the beach community. “Being steps from the ocean, it felt natural to lean into beautiful seafood specials that celebrate that coastal spirit,” Zov said.
A thoughtfully curated bar program complements the cuisine. Premium spirits, fresh herbs and seasonal citrus are used in the handcrafted cocktails that blend Mediterranean and Californian influences. Meanwhile, the restaurant’s wine hails from acclaimed California regions as well as Mediterranean vintners.
The new Zov's in San Clemente sits on Avenida Del Mar in the heart of downtown San Clemente. From left, the exterior, a costal-inspired interior and the upstairs private party room. Photos courtesy of Zov's
Time-Honored Tradition
While the food keeps guests coming back to Zov’s, the welcoming atmosphere is also key to maintaining a loyal clientele. And, in San Clemente, the family hopes to win over some new diners as well.
“What immediately stood out to me about San Clemente is how tight-knit and welcoming the community is and how genuinely open they are to new experiences,” Morgan said. “I’ve had the privilege of getting to know so many people here and that sense of connection has been really special. The location itself is beautiful and the foot traffic in the area is something I love, especially because it gives visitors and people from outside Orange County the chance to discover us organically, even if they’ve never heard of us before.”
The San Clemente restaurant also features a large, private space that can be booked upstairs, with gorgeous views at sunset.
“We’re so thrilled to have this space,” Taleene said. “It’s a beautiful private room that can accommodate seated events, from dinner parties and rehearsal dinners, to celebrations and corporate gatherings. Having a dedicated space for people to mark life’s special moments is something we’ve always loved offering, and it’s so meaningful to be the place where people choose to celebrate.”
Climbing the stairs to the party room, the walls are filled with framed photos and news articles chronicling the growth of Zov’s career. One image shows Zov with culinary greats Emeril Lagasse and Julia Child, who became a mentor to her.
“I discovered Julia when I was about 14 – I was a junior in high school,” Zov recalled. “My mother would call me on her way home from work and tell me what to start for dinner, and the television would be on, and there was Julia. I was captivated. After I learned she had a cookbook, I dove in. When she came through on a book tour, I went to see her.
“Later, I became involved in culinary organizations that she was also a part of, and we eventually met at a conference. I was bold enough to suggest that she come to Orange County for a benefit dinner – and she did. She actually slept in my daughter Taleene’s bed for two nights. What I took from Julia above everything else was technique. She taught me that technique is the foundation of everything, a lesson that has never left me.”
Early in Zov’s career, she also self-published two cookbooks when traditional publishers weren’t interested because she wasn’t yet a well-known chef.
“People were constantly asking me for recipes, so I knew there was a genuine appetite for a cookbook,” Zov said. “I got an agent (and) sent out proposals, but at the time, nobody knew who I was and we couldn’t get a deal. So, I decided to do it myself. I started a small publishing company and self-published two books: ‘Zov: Recipes and Memories from the Heart’ and ‘Simply Zov: Rustic Classics with a Mediterranean Twist.’ A lot of care went into them. Each one took five years to bring to life.”
In time, Zov received several accolades, acknowledging what her loyal diners already knew. The Small Business Administration proclaimed Zov’s as the Restaurant of the Year in 2015. And, in 2016, she was named Chef of the Year by the Orange County Restaurant Association at its Golden Foodie Awards. She has also been recognized by local publications and, in 2002, was presented with James Beard Foundation’s Angel Award, which is given to individuals whose support for the organization goes above and beyond.
Looking Forward
As Zov’s approaches four decades in business, it gives the family a moment to reflect and also to think about the future.
“We will be celebrating our 40th anniversary next year, and I think that milestone says a lot about what makes Zov’s unique,” Armen said. “Over the last 39 years, we have forged a deep, genuine connection with our guests, one that goes far beyond a great meal.
“Many of our guests came here with their parents when they were kids, and they now bring their own children to the restaurant. That kind of multigenerational connection to our guests isn’t something you can advertise. It’s earned through decades of establishing real connections with our guests and making every guest feel like they belong. Zov’s has become part of people’s family stories.”
Looking ahead, Burnham-Ward Properties will be redeveloping the Enderle Center in Tustin, where the Zov’s flagship is located, as Campo on 17th later this year. Zov’s will take this opportunity to reimagine its space.
“The restaurant will be maintaining the same charm and warmth of our current Tustin location, but will closely resemble our newest restaurant in San Clemente, from the lighting, color, textures and feel,” Armen said. “The Bakery Café will be completely reimagined and will offer pizzas, Mediterranean wraps and an open-air patio. It will have a very European, Parisian feel.”
The restaurant plans to continue operating in its current space for as long as possible while the redevelopment gets underway, and Zov’s plans to debut its reimagined location within the project before summer 2027.
When asked if anything else is planned for the restaurant in the near future, Armen said simply, “We have a couple of things in the hopper.”
Thinking about how far the business has come and the beloved restaurant that their mother has built, Zov’s children have nothing but admiration.
“I am so incredibly proud of her,” Taleene said. “When I think about where she started, and what she built, it’s honestly breathtaking. Growing up in this environment taught me that there are no limits. She showed us that with hard work, heart and an unwillingness to compromise on quality, anything is possible. It was a remarkable way to grow up, and I carry that with me every day.”
Zov’s in San Clemente
Where: 155 Avenida Del Mar, downtown San Clemente
When: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
Cost: Entrees range from $20-$55
More info: (949) 850-8262 or zovs.com
