I started cooking when I got married. As I have a big family, I always had to cook a lot. When I moved to Paris, cooking became my profession because it was impossible to find work as a dentist. One day, I received a proposition from Refugee Food to work as an amateur chef in the restaurant “La Residence” for 6 months. I accepted the position with pleasure. There, I learned how to transform home dishes into real gastronomy.

After this experience, I was ready to start my own business, so my partner and I opened our small Georgian restaurant.

In France, the most difficult thing for foreigners is the French administration system in business. Switching careers wasn’t a problem for us because we always cooked well. The only thing left was to divide our time between family and work. Working in the food industry, we had the chance to practice the French language, and our cuisine and culture became more popular among our customers. Our most important achievement was that we were able to propose Georgian gastronomy in the style of street food. Before us, that didn’t exist.

Interview and shot by Shabnam Ferdowsi official HOTK reporter in Paris.