Just a few days ago, my mother-in-law handed me a cookbook she had been compiling for decades. It was a living culinary diary of meals that had built a family, bridging Iran, Germany, and Australia. As I flipped through the saliva-inducing images of stews, cakes, and rice dishes, I thought of the recipes we’ve lost over time—scribbled on napkins, or left unpreserved in the rush of preserving fruit for the winter.
That same week I came across EatStash, an app created by software engineer Christine Garibian that lets you store your favorite recipes in one place. I immediately thought of the drawers of recipes in my own childhood home and knew that I had work to do to compile (and cook) them.
Christine is a natural problem solver. After graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in Applied Mathematics and a minor in Math and Science Education, she honed her technical skills at App Academy and later as a full-stack software engineer at Cisco Meraki. There, she developed tools like Meraki Health, helping network administrators troubleshoot systems used globally.
In 2022, Christine and her husband moved to Armenia to immerse themselves in their cultural heritage and contribute to their homeland following the 2020 war. She joined the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies as a software engineer, where she helped create impactful educational tools for teenagers.
During her Master’s in Computer Science at Georgia Tech, Christine discovered the transformative power of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), on which she took an inspiring course.
“It felt like I’d discovered this secret weapon for solving people’s problems. That course inspired me to tackle a personal challenge I’d been facing: how to make sure I prepared home-cooked meals during the busy workweek. And that’s how EatStash was born.”
Christine’s motivation was simple: she and her husband were tired of eating takeout. Cooking at home felt tastier, healthier, more economical, and sustainable, but planning meals after long workdays was daunting. “I tried several meal-planning apps, but none met my needs,” Christine explains. “I wanted an app that let me easily organize recipes from all my sources—cookbooks, blogs, social media, even family texts—and automatically plan meals based on my preferences. I also didn’t want to organize my big collection manually.” Frustrated by outdated tools, Christine decided to create her own solution: EatStash.
The app goes far above and beyond others in this space, and allows users to:
Christine’s goal is to make cooking at home a more enjoyable, smooth, and organized experience – and to preserve rich family recipes at the same time.
Like many who grew up surrounded by aromatic spices and herbs, Christine has a palate shaped by her roots in Aintab, Marash, and Shabin-Karahisar, and influenced by her family’s journey through Armenia, Syria, and Romania. Growing up in LA, she was surrounded by Armenian dishes from across the diaspora and the cuisines of many other cultures. And while living in Armenia, she was amazed at the vibrant, rich flavors of seasonal fruits and vegetables, which deepened her appreciation for fresh, local ingredients. “I often connect with my Armenianness and my childhood by cooking traditional Armenian dishes—like my grandma’s amazing priest’s soup (vartebed chorba) and dolma, and my mom’s meatball soup (kololakov apur),” she shares.
For Christine, food is one of the greatest ways to express love and care. “Food is a neutral and open way to connect with and talk to other people about their culture,” she believes. By preserving and sharing recipes, she hopes to keep culinary traditions alive for future generations.
Christine encourages others to look into their family recipes and store them for coming generations. “I’ve come to see these dishes as precious treasures that connect us to our roots and loved ones.” Christine is passionate about collecting Armenian cookbooks. “They’re like treasure troves filled with secrets waiting to be discovered. There’s a concern that these recipes might go out of print and be lost forever, especially those from Western Armenia, which are at greater risk of disappearing.” For those from multiple backgrounds who struggle to connect their identities, food is a great place to start.
“Digitizing recipes is the ultimate act of securing them. It’s about honoring our heritage while making these dishes part of our everyday lives.”
EatStash plays a vital role in this preservation of culture. Users can scan and upload their recipes, bringing them to life (or back to life) in weekly meal plans. Whether you’re an avid meal planner or just interested in collecting, consolidating, and digitizing your family recipes, EatStash is a useful tool that connects tech with tradition. “It’s important to preserve and share our culinary traditions, and technology—like what I’m doing with EatStash—can help keep these recipes alive by making them more accessible and encouraging people to cook more at home.” By blending cutting-edge technology with deep cultural appreciation, Christine has created a tool that not only simplifies home cooking but also preserves the legacy of recipes passed down through generations.
Christine Garibian is a software engineer and the founder of EatStash, a mobile app for meal planners who love to cook. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Mathematics from UC Berkeley and is pursuing a Master of Science in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She loves the magical process of building. At EatStash, she’s on a mission to help people live their best lives through the pleasure, connection, autonomy, care, and well-being that food can bring.
Christine’s Favorite Armenian Cookbooks
Download EatStash on the App Store today.
