A Chef Loved a Painter's Work So Much, She Cooked a Meal Inspired by It

New York Times

7 days ago

The Paris-based chef Rose Chalalai Singh doesn't remember when she first saw the work of Niko Pirosmani, only the awe it inspired in her. Born in 1862, the self-taught Georgian artist painted animals, portraits and scenes of country life, including rustic outdoor banquets. In one work, 'Feast at Vintage Time' (date unknown), men with mustaches sit Last Supper style on the far side of a table covered with a white cloth while a waiter presents them with a roast bird and a trio of musicians serenades them. On the left side of the tableau, a man stomps on grapes to make more wine, and on the right, a bear walks on its hind legs. This is Singh's favorite type of Pirosmani painting. 'It's all about celebration and hosting and imagination,' she says. The piece illustrates a supra, or a traditional Georgian feast, but also shows the kind of gathering — memorable for both its food and bonhomie — that she tries to create herself.
Singh is best known for opening the Paris restaurants Ya Lamaï and Rose Kitchen, beloved for their homey but perfectly executed dishes such as pomelo salad, mango sticky rice, steamed sea bass with Thai herbs and coconut pudding. In 2023 she decided to transform the latter, now set in a former sculpture studio in the Bastille, into a headquarters for her consulting and catering outfit as well as a private dining space. The shift away from daily service has allowed Singh, 45, to follow her instincts in less expected directions. Earlier that year, she traveled to Georgia to stay with her friend Keti Toloraia, 44, a co-founder of the Tbilisi interior design firm Rooms Studio. On the first day of her trip, Singh visited the Georgian National Gallery and lingered over the works by Pirosmani. 'She was obsessed, talking only about him,' says Toloraia.
Then Singh got an idea: What if she hosted a party that recreated elements of Pirosmani's feast paintings, right down to the roast pig, yellow flowers and maybe even the view of mountains in the distance? She ran it by George Ramishvili, 58, the founder of Silk Road Group, a Georgian investment company with a hospitality arm, who gamely offered up the nearly 200-acre Tsinandali Estate, in the country's winemaking province of Kakheti. Irakli Asatiani, 38, the executive chef at Silk Hospitality, agreed to collaborate on the food. So, last July, Singh set off for Georgia again, to be with friends old and new.
- A Danish jewelry designer's long midsummer lunch.
- In the Caribbean, a couple's laid-back birthday party with their young son.
- A group of trans artists and activists' Filipino feast on Fire Island.
- In a Georgian vineyard, a meal inspired by a painting.
- A guide to sharing a vacation rental (and remaining friends with your housemates).
- Chefs' favorite recipes for large groups.
- An easy, crowd-pleasing cocktail to make in big batches.
In the lead-up to the meal, Singh, Asatiani and their assistants gathered ingredients, prepared dough, marinated meat and preheated the tone, a traditional round oven where they cooked a suckling pig stuffed — in an example of Thai-Georgian fusion — with lemongrass and lime leaves. In the late afternoon, at a long table positioned beneath an oak tree, the guests feasted, talked, laughed and eventually danced.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.