In the small kitchen of the EpiSourire solidarity grocery store in Dijon, the boards are overflowing with eggplants, potatoes and peppers. In the middle of this ballet of pans, a woman with a gentle look gives her instructions, surrounded by six clerks for a day who have come to learn her Caucasian recipes. Its story begins far from the Dijon stoves.
Originally from Armenia, passing through Ukraine before finding refuge in Burgundy, Susanna Ter-Mkrtchyan rebuilt herself thanks to cooking. She will be one of the strong faces of the Refugee Food Festival in Dijon, which returns from June 18 to 20, 2026 for its 7th local edition, in the heart of World Refugee Day celebrated on June 20.
In the EpiSourire kitchen, Susanna prepares the Refugee Food Festival Dijon 2026
That day, at EpiSourire, a detail was missing for one of its Armenian recipes: cabbages. She then decides to start with adjapsandali, a simmered dish made from eggplant, potatoes and peppers that already smells of home and memories, while her six amateur assistants peel and cut in concentrated silence.
Before tackling the recipe, Susanna introduces herself to her small group. , says Susanna Ter-Mkrtchyan, quoted by France 3. The words come out cautiously, but the gestures are sure, precise, and are often enough to guide everyone.
From Armenia to Ukraine to Dijon: the shock of war and exile
Susanna was born in Armenia, where she spent her entire youth before following her parents to Ukraine. There, she started her family, obtained dual nationality and built twenty-one years of life, between house, work and recipes passed down from generation to generation, until February 24, 2022, the date of Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine.
When attacks multiply, the decision to leave becomes inevitable. , she remembers. Speaking of the abandoned house, rich with twenty-one years of memories, she lets slip a few simple words: .
Kër Association, Armenian cooking workshop and new life in Dijon
With her husband, she chose France as a refuge and landed in Dijon. Very quickly, the language barrier stands before her: , she smiles. Four months after her arrival, a friend put her in contact with Marie-Louise Faye, founder of the Kër association, which supports migrant women through cooking.
During this first meeting, she only knows one word. , she remembers. Having become a chef within Kër, she said to France and Marie-Louise Faye: For fear of bombings, she does not wish to return to Ukraine and prefers to stay in Dijon, where her three children are now well integrated and all speak French.
From June 18 to 20, 2026, the Refugee Food Festival Dijon 2026 is part of the 11th national edition, organized in twelve French cities from June 6 to 28. In Dijon, the program plans around 8,000 meals in school canteens on June 18, a dinner with Georgian and Latin American flavors at the Hey Papi restaurant on the 19th, then, on June 20 at EpiSourire, the Armenian cooking workshop led by Susanna, followed by a shared meal and a musical moment.
Since its creation, the festival has already brought together nearly 100,000 participants and takes place against a backdrop of forced displacement which affects around 123 million people worldwide, according to the UNHCR. And then, in the middle of these figures, there is the face of Susanna, who intends to pass on her recipes and train other refugee women, so that their new life can also begin behind the Dijon stoves.
Who is Susanna Ter-Mkrtchyan, chef at the Refugee Food Festival Dijon 2026?
Susanna Ter-Mkrtchyan is a chef of Armenian origin, who lived in Ukraine for twenty-one years before fleeing the war with her husband and their three children. Based in Dijon, she now works for the Kër association and shares her Armenian specialties during workshops and solidarity events.
When does Susanna’s Armenian cooking workshop take place in Dijon?
Susanna’s Armenian cooking workshop is being held on June 20, 2026 at the EpiSourire solidarity grocery store, on the occasion of World Refugee Day. The course continues with a shared meal and a friendly, musical moment.
What is the Refugee Food Festival and what is the program in Dijon?
The Refugee Food Festival is a national event that highlights refugee cooks alongside local restaurants and structures. In Dijon, the 7th edition takes place from June 18 to 20, 2026, with special menus in school canteens, a Georgian and Latin American dinner at the Hey Papi restaurant and Susanna’s Armenian workshop at EpiSourire.
