In the heart of Tbilisi, the beautiful capital of Georgia, just steps away from the Saint George monument that dominates Freedom Square, stands Cheesefarm, a gastronomic project that combines Georgian hospitality with Italian cheesemaking and pizza-making tradition. Leading this venture is Boris Zakhster, an entrepreneur who has transformed his passion for Italian culture into a concrete enterprise, starting from artisanal fresh cheese production to creating a restaurant that offers a personal vision of Italian cuisine.
Zakhster's journey is rooted in a deep relationship with Italy, built over decades: «I spent many years in Italy since I was a child, in different Italian regions, and in total I lived more than three years in various parts of Italy. As I always say, I'm Italian at heart and have always been a great enthusiast of Italian culture. I spent my summers in Versilia, in Tuscany and Liguria. I also lived for some periods in Rome, Florence and Naples, and have traveled throughout the country over the last twenty years».
The choice to rely on Italian
Moretti Forni technology for cooking the pizzas served at
Cheesefarm stems from careful research and consultation with other industry professionals.
Zakhster specifically chose to use
Neapolis, the electric oven designed for Neapolitan pizza, capable of reaching 510°C, which allows him to achieve consistent results despite the structural constraints imposed by the location, situated in the most prestigious hotel in the Georgian capital: the
Paragraph Freedom Square Hotel. The path that led to choosing the Marche-based company came from advice from Italian friends working in the restaurant industry, but was also due to specific structural constraints: «When I found myself having to decide which oven to buy, I did research and talked to my friends, and with one in particular, who owns a chain of cafés and restaurants in Milan. He told me to consider
Moretti Forni».
The idea for Cheesefarm was born from a specific passion: «I've always been a great enthusiast of fresh cheeses, of burrata, and I went to Puglia to taste the best ones. At a certain point, I understood that what we needed to do was open our own production facility. Basically, we built a small dairy company where we produce fresh cheeses daily. Currently we work on burrata, stracciatella, scamorza, but also halloumi and feta».
The transition from production to restaurant represents a natural evolution of the project: «We decided to open a restaurant where we could create dishes using our products, which are truly of exceptional quality, and thus win over our customers, also giving them the opportunity to buy products in our market inside the restaurant. You can come to the restaurant, eat something, and then go buy some fresh burrata to take home and have fun creating your own dishes».
The menu construction reflects this dual soul, both productive and restaurant-focused, with a strong Italian imprint: «Obviously we needed to create a broader menu, with different types of dishes. 75% of our dishes are Italian. So we decided to make pizza too». The choice of pizza style reveals much about
Zakhster's personality and journey: «Personally I'm a fan of Roman pizza, it's my favorite, thin, crispy. Many people prefer Neapolitan pizza, I confess my preference for the Roman style. I spent a lot of time in Naples, I know how much they care about their pizza and I love their cuisine: perhaps my best gastronomic experiences ever were on the Amalfi Coast. But as for pizza... I say Roman».
This preference has precise roots in his gastronomic formation: «I grew up eating pizza in Milan at Le Specialità and Al Bocconcino in Forte dei Marmi, that way of making pizza is part of my taste memories. When I then lived in Rome for six months, my love for pizza scrocchiarella was consolidated».
However,
Zakhster's approach is not dogmatic. Aware of the different preferences of the public, he has developed a proposal that seeks to mediate between different traditions: «I tried to create a fusion between Naples and Rome, a middle way. And I think that in a certain sense we succeeded, this is the pizza we currently offer. It's thin, with its own crispiness, but has a more developed crust. So it has its own balance». The choice of oven was decisive in realizing this vision.
Even the restrictions imposed by the location initially represented a concern: «We had to respect constraints specified by our landlord, because we are currently hosted by the most famous and luxurious hotel in Tbilisi. We knew we couldn't work with a wood-fired oven, or use gas. And I, as a person who has always been obsessed with Italian traditions in every aspect of the food I love, was very worried: if I had to give up the wood-fired oven, what would my pizza be like?»
Moretti Forni technology dispelled these doubts: «The fantastic team at the company convinced me that there would absolutely be no problems. And that every aspect of pizza cooking, thanks to the
Neapolis oven, would be perfect. I did research and discovered that many pizza chefs prefer to use this oven, because it provides constant heat even after many hours of use and allows the pizza maker to have control at every moment, with considerably less effort».
The operational experience has confirmed the validity of the choice: «We've been using it for six months and I can say I couldn't be happier. Even the oven design is beautiful because it maintains the vintage and rustic style of the classic Italian pizza oven. It inherits this classic design, but also offers a very technological solution, which makes me extremely satisfied, but above all the people who work in our restaurant and make pizza daily are also very happy».
Cheesefarm's menu is not limited to classic pizza, but among the most successful offerings is a focaccia that showcases the quality of burrata made in Georgia: «We use focaccia as a base, which we then finish with tomatoes and a burrata in the middle, so that customers can dip the focaccia directly into the burrata. I haven't seen many dishes like this in Italy, but it quickly became very popular, people love it».
The versatility of the
Neapolis oven is also expressed in preparations other than pizza: «We're discovering that we can use it for some cooking, like for grilled vegetables. We grill them on a charcoal grill and then put them in the oven for about a minute so they cook properly. Or like sea bass, whose cooking is finished in the oven to give it a better crust and texture».
Cheesefarm in Tbilisi represents the first piece of a larger project. Other restaurants with the same concept are opening in Los Angeles and Dubai, maintaining 70% of the common menu, but leaving room for local customizations: «If any of the entrepreneurs I collaborate with ask me, I will definitely recommend Moretti Forni and Neapolis. For the absolute quality of the oven and even more for the company's team, all the people I worked with were extraordinary».
