If you find yourself in Tusheti, be sure to visit Tusheti Bakery, a bakery and cafe where Ia Buchaidze will host you. Ia is a Germanist by profession. In 2015, she opened a bakery and then an open cafe in the yard of her own house, and has been hosting many Georgian and foreign tourists since then. Guests who come here are greeted by a wonderfully warm environment, a friendly host, and delicious traditional dishes along with bread baked from an ancient Georgian wheat variety.
Ia is trying her best to introduce guests to Tusheti culture, history and traditions. Interested parties have the opportunity to participate in the preparation of local dishes, in Tusheti handicraft master classes. In this way, Ia is trying to make the ancient Tusheti traditions, Tusheti gastronomy, Tusheti way of life, of which sheep breeding is an integral part, known to the general public. In Ms. Ia's opinion, preserving/protecting the ancient tradition of sheep breeding means preserving the identity of Tusheti. That is why she is trying to promote the popularization and sale of local products, the famous Tusheti Gudi cheese, other dairy products, and vegetables in her own space. In this way, Ia wants to encourage local sheep breeders and other farmers to continue their work.
In the future, Ms. Ia plans to arrange a multifunctional space in a traditional Tushar building, where, along with all the above-mentioned activities, folklore and educational meetings will also be organized, so that on the one hand, tourists will have the opportunity to get to know Tushar culture, and on the other hand, locals will have access to various cultural and educational events.
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