Milano’s Deli is the creation of Raffi and Araxie Koulayan. Raffi came to the US in 1983 and attended Glendale High School, where he entered the work force soon after working in various industries such as the leather business and other trades. The stars aligned on that fateful night in July, 2001 where he met Araxie. They soon fell in love, got married and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl ,Mary on July 4th, 2004.
Being an integral part in the success of his owner’s leather business, Raffi was “jack of all trades.” He nearly doubled company sales figures, managed other employees, discovered new products and handled accounting & inventory management. Unfortunately, he wasn’t getting the credit he deserved and soon realized that the only way to reap the fruits of his labor was to open his own business.
Araxie worked in the claims department of a flooring company and since she loved cooking, volunteered her spare time by helping cater food for local events in her neighborhood. Because of her passion for food, it was always her dream to open up a restaurant. Her dream coupled with Raffi’s aspiration of owning his own business and their mutual love of meeting new people, led to the opening of Milano’s Deli on July 6th, 2005.
At Milano’s Deli, Raffi and Araxi fully understand that good food is only part of the equation. They believe that great customer service is just as important. Their friendly service combined with their fresh deli subs, authentic middle-eastern dishes and all-natural fruit smoothies equals a winning combination that make Milano’s Deli a true gem in the heart of Pasadena.
