About Us
Where it all began
We get asked a lot, "Why Georgian?" Back in the mid-aughts, I had the immense privilege to live and work in Sakartvelo (the Georgian name for Georgia), and I absolutely fell in love with the country, its people and its national passion for food, wine and hospitality. Despite living and working all over the world in those intervening 15 years, Georgia continues to be the country and cuisine that my heart returns to, again and again. My goal is to share some of that experience and passion with the folks in my local community here in midcoast Maine. We'll be hosting several events over the next year as a pilot, with the ultimate goal of opening a brick and mortar establishment. So that means we'd love your feedback!
If you'd like to hear about future events and news, you can subscribe to our mailing list below to be alerted and we'll be sure to give you a heads-up as plans come together. We promise not to spam or advertise or distribute your info - you'll just get a priority heads-up.
A Bit About the Cuisine
A traditional Georgian feast is called a Georgian Table or "Supra." Dishes are served family style, and they come out of the kitchen one after another, filling the table with various delights to taste and explore. Typically, wine glasses are filled, and the tamada (i.e. toastmaster), will say a toast and everyone will empty their glass in one go. While we do love a traditional Georgian toast, we never expect empty glasses. Along with copious amounts of wine, it's typical to have sparking Georgian water (which can be a bit salty), and kompot or juice. Georgian food lends itself naturally to vegetarian friendly fare since it's not unusual for people to observe extended fasts during which they abstain from meat. The country is at the cross-roads of the Eastern Hemisphere, with influences from Slavic, Turkic, Mediterranean and Persian cuisines. These influences found their way to Sakartvelo via Silk Road trade and the many attempted conquests from surrounding empires. As a particularly mountainous country located along the Caucasus range, each region has its own unique variations on food, wine and customs. We try to highlight a variety of fare from around Georgia.
Who is King Tamar?
Our namesake, King Tamar, is known as Georgia's "King of the Kings" and was the first woman to rule the country in her own right, reigning from 1184 to 1213. Unlike in English, the Georgian language Kartuli does not have a gendered word for their ruler, and to this day, she is known as King Tamar. Her rule oversaw a great expansion of the territories of Georgia, as well as a Golden Age in culture and architecture. She's a fascinating historical figure and we think she was pretty badass.