PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A new Georgian restaurant is now open at Reading Terminal Market.
It’s called Saami Somi, which means three doughs.
“Dough is a big part of Georgian food culture,” said Michael Kolodesh, who owns the restaurant with his sister, Donna.
They were both raised on their grandmother’s Georgian cooking while growing up in Northeast Philadelphia.
“She chased us around with spoonfuls of lobio, ajapsandali and eggplant caviar in our youth,” he recalled. “So I think more than anything, she would be shocked that we’re feeding that same food to hundreds of people every day … and eating it every day ourselves.”
Donna Kolodesh said their interest in Georgian cuisine was reignited during a recent trip.
“We went back to Georgia and we tried the food,” she said. And as adults, we were like, wow, what our grandma was making was special.”
They hope Saami Somi introduces people to their Georgian heritage and history. And if they find that they enjoy the food, Donna Kolodesh hopes they visit other neighborhoods where Georgian food is a staple.
One of those staples is khachapuri, a hand-kneaded bread boat filled with cheese, egg and sometimes other ingredients.
“You mix in the egg yolk into the hot cheese and it emulsifies the cheese and gives it that unique flavor profile and texture,” said Michael Kolodesh.
For more on Saami Somi, listen to the KYW Newsradio original podcast What’s Cooking on the Audacy app or in the audio player below: