Ekatirine Nadiradze, DEDAS PURI restaurant

 

Every time you try Dedas Puri restaurant’s food, there is a desire to note the special warmth emanating from every dish. Rarely restaurant’s visitors see the author of all these delicious dishes. It is important to realize that not only should the chef’s name be much spoken about, but also recognized among frequenters.
 
Today, the heroine of our new rubric called “Autograph from the Chef” is Ekaterine Nadiradze, Dedas Puri Restaurant’s chef, member of the Dining Smart’s best socially-responsible cafes and restaurants club.

Zhibek: Good afternoon, Ekaterine. What does it mean for you to be a chef? Job, hobby, vocation?
Ekaterine: Hello! It’s a sort of an easy question, as being a chef is a vocation, favourite hobby and the whole life for me. 

 

Zhibek: People say that in many restaurants the chef rarely cooks himself. He only creates recipes, makes calculations, and helps administrators to choose the best suppliers. What about Dedas Puri? When your visitors order a dish, can they be sure whether the chef’s hand assisted during the cooking process or not?
Ekaterine: Yes, of course. In our case, it is me who comes up with new dishes and cooks them. Hence, our visitors can absolutely be sure that they’re eating the food cooked by the veritable Georgian chef.

Zhibek: What Dedas Puri’s dish can be truly called the specialty of the house?
Ekaterine: Like in Georgia, we can call beef khinkali our most beloved dish, our specialty and pride.

Zhibek: It is widely believed that when you visit a cafe or a restaurant, there can be no doubt that you will try something that is not easy to cook at home. Do you cook at home? How is home cooking different from the restaurant cooking?
Ekaterine: I do usually cook with a pleasure at home if I have spare time. Not to mention, any dish that is cooked with love will definitely be “homemade” delicious. Moreover, I see andmake no difference between the homemade food and the food cooked at our restaurant. 

 

Zhibek: What food/dishes distinguish the Georgian(Caucasian) cuisine from the others?
Ekaterine: As a matter of fact, the Georgians are very kind and hospitable people. All dishes they cook are made with love, which, perhaps, is the most important part of their cuisine. The products we like are: cheese, vegetables, poultry and a various sauces - adjika, tkemali, satsebeli.
 

Zhibek: What is the most important for you in the kitchen, and where do you get new ideas for the dishes from?
Ekaterine: The most important thing for me is to love what you do. The new ideas appear instantaneously - after a walk on a fresh air, a warm friendly meeting. Sometimes you just look at the products and realize how to cook not to be like others.
 

 

Interviewed by Zhibek Karamanova  www.DiningSmart.com
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