Yervand Markarian was born in Harbin, China, to Armenian refugees. He grew up in Tientsin, where his father ran a billiards hall and he attended St. Louis College. In 1939, Markarian volunteered to fight in World War II with the French Foreign Legion. After his term of service, he was sent to Shanghai, where he served in the Russian regiment of the Shanghai Volunteer Corps before starting a position as a police officer for the French Concession.

As the war intensified, Markarian’s father-in-law asked him to leave the police force, and offered to set him up with a partnership in a restaurant in Shanghai. Markarian took the offer, and opened the restaurant, Kavkaz, serving Russian food in the mid-1940s. Shortly thereafter, the war ended, and Markarian offered the restaurant as a space for the American military to use as their headquarters. While the American soldiers proved to be a boon to business, the success of the restaurant dwindled when the Communists took over in 1949.

At this point Markarian began applying for visas to Australia and the United States, but his applications were rejected. He then applied to an international refugee organization, who obtained visas for his family to emigrate to Brazil.

Through working with the American Consulate, he was able to get a job in Brazil working at a Ford Motor Company factory, where he worked in the parts and accessories department before transferring to the claims department. He eventually moved to the United States and settled in the Los Angeles area.