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At the second International Tbilisi Gastro Week I landed almost together with our well-known chefs – Arevik Martirosyan from Tsaghkunk Restaurant & Glkhatun and Rafael Kazumayn from Hayrik and Extra Virgin who arrived here to perform at a concluding event.  One can appreciate the significance of the Tbilisi Gastro Week just by looking at its list of participants. Truly, if it were a musical event, we could have exclaimed – “Rock stars are in town!”

The first dinner was delivered by a trio of chefs – Levan Buadze from the Rooms Hotel, Giorgi Ninua from the Otsy and Two-Michelin star Chef Hans Neuner from Portuguese Ocean restaurant. Tyrol born Hans has worked extensively and travelled all around the globe from Ghana to Goa before settling in Portugal.  Sixteen years ago, he arrived in the picturesque Algarve region with only cookbooks, his chef’s knives and with a girlfriend by his side. Since then, Hans has elevated Portuguese haute cuisine to new heights and established himself in the Top 100 The Best Chefs.

Incredible Alejandro Serrano – the youngest Spanish chef to earn a Michelin Star, at the age of 24, and now the owner of the restaurant that bears his name in Miranda de Ebro in Burgos province, joined forces with a celebrity of Georgian cuisine - Meriko Gubeladze at her Ninia’s Garden restaurant.

Michael van der Kroft, once a professional BMX rider and now a splendid chef and co-owner of Tres - one of The Netherlands’ most intriguing restaurants, as well as a candidate for this year’s The Best Chef Award, was presenting his art at Margot Old Tbilisi along with Georgian restauranteur and a chef of the Veris Duqani – Keti Bakradze.

In the Monograph hotel known besides other distinctions for its breathtaking view over Liberty Square, Ramaz Gemiashvili – a chef of Keto and Kote was greeting the guests together with Kamilla Seidler – Latin America's Best Female Chef 2016 according to The World’s 50 Best, now a chef and the owner of the Copenhagen-based Lola restaurant. While working in Bolivia Kamilla earned not only the title but also recognition for her social work. At the dinner we met the Ambassador of Armenia to Georgia His Excellency Ashot Smbatyan and his wife who wished Armenian chefs the bust of luck with their performance.

The last dinner was set at the Café Littera – in a magical garden of the Writers’ House, the very same where Emperor Nicholas the Second was hosted in 1914 and which was always in the center of Tbilisi’s cultural life and its beau monde since its early days as the mansion of the Sarajishvili family. The candlelight, the calla lilies in the vases, the waiters with champagne on silver trays meandering among the guests, the music which set just the right tone, and exquisite food – everything was in the spirit of this Belle Époque mansion.

The dinner was hosted by the Queen of Georgian Fusion Tekuna Gachechiladze and Deepanker Khosla, an Indian-born chef of Haoma – the urban farm and zero waste restaurant in Bangkok.

DK, as he is affectionately called, has earned both a Michelin star and a green star and, as suggested by Forbes, is probably the most sustainable chef in the word.

Finally, the last event of the Week, the reason for the arrival of Arevik and Rafael – an exclusive open-air "Star Chefs' Street Edition".  A crowd a of few hundred gathered at the highest peak of Tbilisi, in the Underwheel club at Mtatsminda mountain, to enjoy the art of the star chefs of the Week. What did Arevik and Rafael prepare to amuse the audience? How are they doing backstage? I headed straight for the inner sanctum – the kitchen - to find out.

I met Arevik at the longest table you could imagine. Dressed in her Tsaghkunk restaurant’s uniform and favorite headband she was weaving magic over a train of plates with … pasuc-dolma.

- Finally, I have discovered what you have made!, - I was delighted. Why did you choose pasuc-dolma to present?

- For a couple of reasons. To start with - it is our traditional dish. Besides, I wanted to incorporate ecological products – the legumes and cereals, that we are producing ourselves at the ‘Arter’ farm in Tsaghkunk. My husband Grigor (she points out in the direction of Grigor who came to Tbilisi to support her and now is chopping the dill with a great enthusiasm) – well, he is growing and I am cooking. From ‘farm to table’ in a literal sense. And for dessert we’ll offer Pokhindz also made from our eco-wheat.

- As I see it your dolma is anything but usual. It comes with “accessories” so to speak, right?

- Very true. My signature style is to take a traditional recipe and top it up with something of my own.  In this case, I had my doubts how pasuc-dolma, this darling of our Armenian souls, would be perceived here. So, I decided to bring it closer to a Georgian taste by balancing its taste of sour cabbage with sauces: one is made of yoghurt with tahini, and the other one of dill, garlic and vinegar.

- And what are these pretty reddish cute thigs on top?

-  Barberries and cherries of two types.

- It seems that, when it comes to decoration, your dish is one of the most complicated ones here – all these berries and sauces… It must be your artistic genes speaking out. You come from an artistic family, don’t you?

- That’s right. My father – Khachatur Martirosyan is an abstract painter. His works are exhibited all over the world. An artistic atmosphere was encouraged from early on by my grandfather - Ter Ruben Matirosyan - a head priest of the Holy Sarqis church who was associated with William Saroyan, Avetik Isahakyan… It was assumed that I would follow an artistic path as well, but at some stage I started to doubt whether I should become a cartoonist or a cook? Well, the cooking prevailed, - she laughs.

Having fed my curiosity, I left Arevik to decorate her charming dolma and headed to Rafael Kazumyan – a chef who always has something to amuse you. A graduate of the Parisian Le Cordon Bleu, and the driving force behind numerous fascinating projects, Rafael is a chef with an international background. I still remember his Four-Hands dinner at Hayrik with Michelin two-star French chef Florence Dalia and our effervescent video-interview just before the dinner.

Here I am in Rafael’s zone – it’s calm and peaceful. Dagestan born Islam Isayev, a chef who seven years ago came to help Rafael to elevate gastronomy in Armenia, welcomes me with a warm smile. Rafael’s wife – Liubov, not at all a chef but an artistic director and executive creative producer of the One&Only theatre, the one to whom we owe magical acrobatic performances at the Stage, juggles all the culinary tasks surprising well. Rafael himself dressed in a stylish black uniform, fills the cones with something of a mystery in an inimitably tranquil manner. What is it? - I can’t wait to know.

- An ice-cream from eggplant and walnuts in lavash cones.

Gee! That certainly creates an effect – I raise my eyebrows.

-The top decoration, - Rafael continues after a pause, - is a walnut and tomato caramel praline.

- What a choice! Why this particular one?

- We arrived in Georgia as guests and it seems sensible to celebrate what unites us rather what divides. Eggplant rolls – are a starter that is widespread all over the Caucasus. As for lavash, well - it is our Armenian heritage. So, as you see, this dish is about the friendship between our two nations.

- Talking of which – how is the ambience here? Is there any competition between chefs?

- Not at all. We are colleagues, friends. Each of us is busy with our own chores, each of us represents their native country so it’s a really positive ambiance for us to be in.

I looked around… Here is Tekuna – making jokes accompanied with vibrant gestures.  Alejandro is conversing with a colleague. Deepanker is hovering over the stove – cooking his magic. Michael is dashing across the kitchen with a smile on his face and seemingly in a great mood (I can’t resist a quick photo of him).

The waiters are scurrying past in excitement. And here he comes – the flamboyant Irakli Nadareishvili – a founder of the Tbilisi Gastro Week, and mind you – a general producer of the legendary Tbilisi Open Air. Kristian Brask Thomsen – this hugely celebrated ambassador of star chefs and the founder of epic dinners - Dining Impossible and DI:JET pops in to check how things are…

Taking my dose of the sublime atmosphere of the kitchen I go back to the hall where the audience is crowding up to the stage in anticipation. The intrigue is building up. The clock is ticking… And finally, the show hostess announces: “Arevik Martirosyan – Armenia! » It must have been a thrill and pride that made my heart beat…

Next is a presentation from Rafael. Being a master not only of cuisine but also of presentation (shall we recall that he was a winner of the MasterChef show?), Rafael mesmerizes the audience at once with his eggplant ice cream – how could he not?

And here we are – the show is over. Arevik and I walk to an open-air terrace.

- Well, how was it? - I ask.

- Quite fantastic! The audience received me well and the pasuc-dolma was greatly enjoyed. Luckily, I had more than was requested - all five hundred pieces disappeared in a second.

- What are the benefits of the Gastro Week for you personally?

- For any chef, the cooperation and networking with colleagues, particularly of such a high level, is a massive experience. You watch them cooking, you discover their approach and delivery. They take something on board from you in return. It’s a powerful synergy. And you know, once again I ascertained that we - the Tsaghkunk restaurant - are heading in a right direction: you could see the chefs here were also presenting their national cuisine but with their individual interpretation.

- If I may share an opinion… You – the Tsaghkunk restaurant, are so fascinating and contemporary because you are way more than just a restaurant. You are a concept, a philosophy, you embrace ecological farming, you impart a significant social impact… And what is not least important - you make us fall in love again with Armenian traditional cuisine, having looked at it with your eyes.

Saying that, I recalled a conversation with John Wurdeman - chef and owner of the «Poliphonia» restaurant which I visited in the morning with a group of international media: «If you love traditions, - he said, - you can’t just put them behind a glass wall. If you only conserve them, they will die sooner or later.  Traditions also need oxygen. You need to understand your cultural inheritance, but you must give something back to it in order to keep it alive”. So well put, isn’t it?!

Gasto events of such magnitude – always lead to progress and opportunities. They celebrate the alliance of mankind and nature. Undoubtedly, they are a quintessence of art de vivre. Yet, there is much more to it – a thousand and one aspects, since events of such a scale inevitably catalyze a chain reaction with innumerable beneficiaries.

Sometime ago Time magazine published an article titled “Nomanomics: How One Restaurant Is Changing Denmark’s Economy”.  Providing an avalanche of figures and statistics on the incredible increase in tourists, working places, and areas affected positively by the restaurant, the author concluded – Danish Noma, as well as Spanish El Bulli – have changed the world. What they have also done – they have engraved the names of their countries in golden letters in the Hall of Culinary Fame, making them the center of gravity for (no exaggerations here) - millions.

 Is such a scenario possible for Armenia? Why not? We are a country with an ancient culture and traditions; we enjoy a diversity of distinctive local products; our winemaking rapidly accelerates. We do have talented chefs and restauranteurs-visionaries, who think way beyond the frame of one restaurant. We do have people who, brick by brick, pave the way for Armenia to an international scene.

Do I want to see International Gastro Week or similar Gastro events in Armenia? Certainly – yes!  Beside its benefits that can be measured in percentages and indexes, there are benefits of another nature. We Armenians have faced unspeakable suffering. We and our heritage are the subject of consistent attempts to destroy us. Yet, despite all the tragedies and challenges, we carry on working, growing, creating… We neither surrender nor do we give up. This story – the story of a gifted and resilient people - deserves to be told. And to tell it through our traditions, our food and wine, our bread and songs – is it not a beautiful way to reach peoples’ hearts?!

Nata Brettell

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