Armenia: TUMO to renovate Gyumri market and establish an International Culinary School with EU support

The TUMO Centre for Creative Technologies, a free-of-charge educational programme in Armenia, will reconstruct the historic Gyumri market to establish an international culinary school and implement a project aimed at long-term economic development. The European Union will support this project with a €2.5 million grant. The grant agreement was signed on 11 March in Gyumri by EU Ambassador to Armenia Vassilis Maragos and TUMO CEO Marie Lou Papazian.

The Gyumri Market and Culinary School initiative is set to position Gyumri as a regional hub for tourism and gastronomy, all while blending the heritage of Armenian cuisine with innovative culinary techniques and approaches.

In collaboration with the esteemed French institution Institut Lyfe (formerly Institut Paul Bocuse), TUMO will craft a curriculum that integrates the best practices and globally recognised standards in culinary education.

The culinary school will accommodate 30 students annually, most of whom will receive scholarships to pursue their studies entirely free-of-charge. The best students will have the chance to continue their studies at Institut Lyfe in Lyon, France.

“Our main goal with this new education programme is to craft a new generation of Armenian chefs by combining the curriculum of the renowned French culinary school with tried and true methodologies from TUMO Studios, already implemented in Armenia. Students will incorporate their learning with workshops guided by international experts,” said TUMO CEO Marie Lou Papazian.

In the upcoming weeks, an international architectural competition will be launched to choose the team responsible for reconstructing the centre. Once the team has been selected, construction will begin promptly. 

The grand opening of the market and culinary school is scheduled for 2026.

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Press release