Georgian cuisine, which preserves the country’s rich history and diverse cultural influences, occupies a dignified place on the world culinary map. Maya Toria, a masterchef with many years of experience, also makes her own contribution to increasing its popularity and making this one of the powerful symbols of national identity better known to the world.
Maya is from Abkhazia, but after the Russian occupation she had to leave her native region as a refugee. She graduated from school in her native city of Sukhumi and during her studies she was distinguished by high academic performance. After that, she entered the Faculty of Journalism at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, and after graduating from the mentioned university she worked in her profession for only nine months.
She soon realized that she should connect her profession to culinary art and continued her studies at the university at the faculty of Food Technology.
As she says, being a chefmaster had always been her dream, which in the long run was turned into a profession by her. Her inspiration was nourished by this very dream. “Inspiration is needed in any profession, it’s a kind of food for the soul on the way to find new things,” says Maya Toria.
According to her, she mastered the mentioned profession quite quickly and soon the culinary journey of Maya Toria as an ambassador of Georgian cuisine in the world began. She took her first steps in the prestigious Georgian restaurant “Elarji” of the Novikov Group chain. In a few years, after having completed culinary trainings abroad, she received the status of head chef.
From there, she continued her career in another famous Georgian restaurant, “Saperavi”. After that, she joined the international restaurant chain Buldozer Group, with the help of which she gained experience in restaurants in Ukraine, Russia and the United Arab Emirates, where she introduced Georgian culinary masterpieces to the local population.
Until now, she has contributed to the work of 44 restaurants located in different countries of the world. Among them, in addition to the countries mentioned above, in Hungary, in particular in the capital Budapest, the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan and Hong Kong. According to Maya, one of the most distinguished experiences in her career was her internship at the 3-star Michelin restaurant “Cipriani” in Dubai.
In 2015, in cooperation with Buldozer Group, Maya entered the restaurant “Zoloto” in Almaty, Kazakhstan. A few years later, she became the brand-chef of the NINO restaurant in the same city, and she still holds the above mentioned position. In addition, Maya is the author and partner of the concept of NINO. The restaurant, which combines modern Georgian and European cuisine, has three head chefs under Maya’s supervision, and in total the team has 42 employees.
In 2015, in cooperation with the Buldozer Group, Maya entered the Zoloto restaurant in Almaty, Kazakhstan. A few years later, she became the brand chef of the NINO restaurant in the same city, a position he still holds. In addition, Maya is the author and partner of the NINO concept. The restaurant, which combines modern Georgian and European cuisine, employs three chefs under the leadership of Maya and the total team consists of 42 employees.
Maya takes care of the development of the NINO brand and its establishment as a leader in Georgian cuisine throughout Kazakhstan. This is evidenced by the 32 unique menus developed by her over the course of six years, which demonstrate the culinary innovations and creativity of the Georgian chef.
As Maya states, each dish created by her has its own story. As for the methods of their preparation, according to the Georgian chef, “In this case, only professional skills are not enough, you need to put your own part in each dish.”
The Georgian chef believes that constant development is necessary to prepare for changes. “Being a chef means constantly learning. Nothing lasts forever, everything changes, sometimes things become outdated and vice versa, other things become popular. I constantly try to develop my own team and restaurant and care about progress,” she says.
In addition to managing the NINO team and growing the brand’s popularity, Maya Toria is currently working on a book that will include her authorial recipes. The book, titled as “Cooking as an Art”, is expected to be published by January 2025.
According to the Georgian chef, she continues her culinary journey and is ready for new challenges. “For me, this profession is associated with continuous development and unforgettable adventures. My goal also echoes this – never stop taking actions and never stop moving forward, and on this way, I would like to introduce as many people as possible to Georgian cuisine and culture and make people love them “, notes Maya Toria. S
Author: Iza Gvaramadze
