All Arto der Haroutunian¿s cookbooks, written in the 1980s, became classics. He was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1940 and grew up in the Levant, but came to England as a child and remained here for most of his life. In 1970, in partnership with his brother, he opened the first Armenian restaurant in Manchester which eventually became a successful chain of six restaurants and two hotels. He died in 1987 at the untimely age of 47 but is survived by his wife and son who still live in Manchester. As well as his passion for cooking, Arto was a painter of international reputation, a composer and translator of Turkish, Arab, Persian and Armenian authors. He was a true polymath.