“Where you are going, you have to put on the same hat that they are wearing”. Natia, who along with her family runs the La Burrata Restaurant in Tbilisi, Georgia, tells us about their journey to Italy and back and setting up their beloved restaurant.
By Natia as told to the Samuel Hall team. Photographs by Tornike Begiashvili
Giorgi Gachechiladze and Lala Gachechiladze; Natia’s parents
Navigating the complexities of dual identities, I grew up in Italy while maintaining deep roots in Georgian soil. I was born in Georgia, but my family and I relocated to Italy when I was just 3-years-old.
The decision to move came in the aftermath of a deadly conflict. Following the Abkhazian War in 1992, my family fled to Georgia and was facing considerable hardships—shuffling between the cities of Marneuli and Tbilisi.
Life was challenging; my father, a chef, earned a meagre salary. Fortunately, his culinary skills caught the attention of an Italian restaurant in Rimini, leading to an invitation to work there. Seizing the opportunity, he relocated our family to Italy in 1996.
We were warmly welcomed. Both of my parents worked at the restaurant, while my siblings and I attended Italian schools from kindergarten through graduation. We spent 21 years in Italy without facing any discrimination, immersed in a community that embraced us.
My parents believed that raising their children abroad would offer better opportunities. However, though our lives were primarily in Italy, my parents never let us forget about Georgia and always talked about, one day, moving back. As much as possible, we tried to maintain our culture – my parents would speak to me in Georgian, and I would respond to them in Italian.
As political and security conditions in Georgia improved, we began to return for vacations, reconnecting with our homeland. It enriched my connection to Georgia. We were welcomed by the community whenever we returned because we were always in touch with them. Every time I spent the summer here, I felt so good that I never wanted to go back to Italy.
Bringing Back A Little Bit of Italy to Georgia
“My parents had always planned on returning and had bought a house. Owning a home in Tbilisi, my father started giving Italian cooking classes for aspiring chefs. Since all restaurants were closed, my father decided to start teaching people of all ages in order to help them find jobs after the pandemic. Our classes attracted numerous students, some of whom are still working as cooks in Georgia, Italy, and the US.
As the pandemic subsided, my father decided to establish deeper roots in Georgia rather than return to Italy. He expressed that he did not want to work for anyone else anymore. Given his love for hosting people and leveraging their special pizza oven, they opened our own restaurant. The community quickly grew to love our establishment.
My father was the best chef of Italian cuisine in Georgia. In the 2000s, you would rarely see an Italian restaurant in Tbilisi. He was a pioneer spreading the love for Italian cuisine in Tbilisi.
Initially, we only expected students to come for takeout. But then, more and more customers started coming in, and expressed their desire to eat at the restaurant rather than taking it home. We had to open additional rooms to accommodate everyone. So we added another section to make the restaurant bigger. We then added another room and put tables outside. Now we can host 90 diners. My father cooks, my mother makes pizzas, and I work as a waitress. We have also hired 10 additional wait staff.
People ask why we do not open another branch. We tell them we want to keep what we have built here, the taste and the food; it’s so organic. But lately, we have started considering it.
Adapting and Integrating: Navigating Cultural Shifts and Culinary Traditions
Returning to Georgia was slightly difficult for me because the mentality and lifestyle were very different. We have a saying in Georgia, “Where you are going, you have to put on the same hat that they are wearing”— this is what we did in Italy and what we do here in Georgia. When I returned at 18, I had to start reading and learning the language again. You start as if you are a foreigner.
Our identities are deeply intertwined with the culinary traditions we cherish. My favourite dishes – Khinkali from Georgia and pasta from Italy – mirror my dual heritage. I could enjoy pasta every day, delighting in a variety of sauces. Typically, weekends were reserved for indulging in pasta, soups, and pizza with friends. Currently, my diet leans more towards European cuisine; I can relish Italian meals several times a day. Georgian food, with its robust flavours, is something I savour less frequently, often opting for a restaurant experience when the craving strikes.
While we still go back to Italy to visit my brother and old friends, as far as the near future is concerned, we plan to stay in Georgia and expand our business operations – but Italy is still our second home, and my parents are grateful to Italy. When my father returned from Italy, there were few Italian restaurants in Georgia. He was the first to introduce authentic Italian cuisine here, bringing everything he had learned and observed in Italy to his ‘homeland’.
To continue the legacy, I will soon be opening a pizzeria with the help and knowledge of my parents. The pizzeria will be in Tblisi’s city centre and its name will be Rimini, the place in Italy where I grew up.
Adapting and Integrating: Navigating Cultural Shifts and Culinary Traditions
Returning to Georgia was slightly difficult for me because the mentality and lifestyle were very different. We have a saying in Georgia, “Where you are going, you have to put on the same hat that they are wearing”— this is what we did in Italy and what we do here in Georgia. When I returned at 18, I had to start reading and learning the language again. You start as if you are a foreigner.
Our identities are deeply intertwined with the culinary traditions we cherish. My favourite dishes – Khinkali from Georgia and pasta from Italy – mirror my dual heritage. I could enjoy pasta every day, delighting in a variety of sauces. Typically, weekends were reserved for indulging in pasta, soups, and pizza with friends. Currently, my diet leans more towards European cuisine; I can relish Italian meals several times a day. Georgian food, with its robust flavours, is something I savour less frequently, often opting for a restaurant experience when the craving strikes.
While we still go back to Italy to visit my brother and old friends, as far as the near future is concerned, we plan to stay in Georgia and expand our business operations – but Italy is still our second home, and my parents are grateful to Italy. When my father returned from Italy, there were few Italian restaurants in Georgia. He was the first to introduce authentic Italian cuisine here, bringing everything he had learned and observed in Italy to his ‘homeland’.
To continue the legacy, I will soon be opening a pizzeria with the help and knowledge of my parents. The pizzeria will be in Tblisi’s city centre and its name will be Rimini, the place in Italy where I grew up.
