As a part of the collaboration with the Program on Georgian Studies at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard, we are working on a Diaspora History project called – The Heritage Remembered. This is a collaborative initiative with the goal is to preserve, record, and analyze the life of the Georgian Diaspora in the USA from the earliest immigrant arrivals in the late nineteenth century to the present day. Among those records are the stories of restaurant owners who have opened Georgian restaurants across the United States. You’ll find the short highlights below and the complete transcripts linked into the descriptions. We will continue to update the page as more stories are collected. For restaurants with non-Georgian owners, who expand the Georgian cuisine to various communities across the US, you’ll see the short blurbs without the full transcripts on the diaspora website.
Chama Mama – New York City
The story of Chama Mama is as much about cultural preservation as it is about food. Tamara Chubinidze, who immigrated from Tbilisi to New York as a teenager, created the restaurant as what she calls her “love letter to the motherland.” Having grown up between two worlds, she wanted a space that would not only showcase authentic Georgian cuisine but also introduce Americans to Georgian history, language, and traditions. Everything in the restaurant—from the wall displaying the Georgian alphabet, to crockery made in Georgia, to seasonal dishes tied to cultural rituals—serves an educational purpose as much as a culinary one. Guests leave not just having eaten, but having learned about Georgia’s kings, artists, holidays, and customs through postcards and conversations with staff. The design, menu, and wine selection are curated to present Georgia as a vibrant cultural nation distinct from Russia, and to make visitors feel the sacred hospitality Georgians extend to their guests.
Chubinidze’s personal journey makes the restaurant especially meaningful. Arriving in the U.S. at 15, she struggled with homesickness, language, and the pain of explaining Georgia’s identity to people who often confused it with Russia. After a career in finance, she chose to retrain in hospitality, working at Le Pain Quotidien before realizing her true calling was to create a Georgian restaurant. When Chama Mama‘s first location opened, lines formed within ten days, underscoring both the novelty and the resonance of her vision. She frames the restaurant as a community bound by “Language, Homeland, Faith,” and describes her team as sharing not just a job but a mission. For her, every feast is a statement: “Georgian cuisine is not street food, but a ritual of gathering, storytelling, and continuity”. Through Chama Mama, which now boasts multiple locations, she bridges her immigrant experience, her longing for home, and her determination to ensure Georgia is seen, respected, and celebrated in the U.S.
You can read the complete transcript of the interview here.
Saami Somi – Philadelphia
Michael and Donna Kolodesh’s family left Georgia in 1993 following political unrest and economic hardship after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Settling in Northeast Philadelphia, they became part of a large ex-Soviet immigrant community. The ex-Soviet diaspora in Northeast Philadelphia provided mutual support to new immigrants and created a cultural environment blending Russian, Georgian, and other post-Soviet traditions. While Michael was born in Tbilisi and immigrated at age five, Donna was born shortly after their arrival in the U.S. They grew up speaking Russian at home (Georgian was reserved for “adult” topics) and absorbing the shared diaspora culture, while also navigating American life. Their parents and many members of their community turned to entrepreneurial paths in the U.S., shaping the siblings’ views on business and identity from a young age.
Years later, a visit back to Tbilisi to their grandmother’s house on Aghmashenebeli Avenue reconnected the siblings to their roots and inspired them to create Saami Somi, a Philadelphia-based food venture that celebrates their heritage and the ex-Soviet community integral to their upbringing in the U.S.
Saami Somi reflects the siblings’ diasporic experience: fusing Soviet-era staples, Georgian classics, and American culinary influences. From Borodinsky bread used in khachapuri to oxtail dumplings inspired by Philadelphia’s Caribbean flavors, their menu highlights cultural crossovers, offering a unique take on the Georgian cuisine. Saami Somi has since gained recognition in Philadelphia’s evolving dining scene. For Michael and Donna, the project is not only about food but also about telling their story of immigration, memory, and heritage.
Read the complete transcript of the interview here.