{"id":197204,"date":"2026-04-14T19:17:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/197204\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T19:17:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:17:08","slug":"chama-mama-expands-to-bushwick-with-new-georgian-bakery-concept-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/197204\/","title":{"rendered":"Chama Mama expands to Bushwick with new Georgian bakery concept \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seven years after opening their first location in Chelsea, Chama Mama<\/a> has opened their fourth location with a new space on Bushwick\u2019s Morgan Avenue, marking both a milestone and turning point for the Georgian restaurant group<\/a>. Alongside it comes Let\u2019s Chama, a bakery concept devoted entirely to Georgian pastries and breads \u2014 an extension of the restaurant\u2019s mission to introduce the depth of Georgian cuisine to a broader audience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Founded in 2019 by Tamara Chubinidze, Chama Mama\u2019s motto is that every guest is a \u201cgift from God,\u201d a mantra that guides every aspect of the space.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For executive Chef Nino Chiokadze, who has been with Chama Mama since its earliest days, the opening is about continuing a story that began seven years prior.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI was there from day one,\u201d Chiokadze said. \u201cChelsea was the first location, and in the beginning, it was the first place where we decided to have Georgian cuisine with traditions, with Georgian wines, authentic inside the open kitchen with some Georgian arts. That was the start of Chama Mama.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, that introduction required explanation \u2014 and sometimes a lot of it. Diners frequently confused the country of Georgia with the U.S. state. The restaurant responded not just with menus, but with storytelling: facts about the country, its history and its culinary traditions woven into the dining experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople mostly were connecting us to the state of Georgia,\u201d Chiokadze said. \u201cWe had to explain that, oh, that\u2019s a country, and we are Georgians. We started putting out facts about Georgia and sharing little by little all these stories behind where we come from.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ChamaThe Chama Mama and Let\u2019s Chama experience is just as much about education as it is about food, Chiokadze said.Photo courtesy of Let\u2019s Chama<\/p>\n

That educational component became central to the restaurant\u2019s identity. But over time, something shifted.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter two years, I was feeling like, \u2018okay, I\u2019m explaining less,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cEach part of our department was explaining also \u2014 the beverage, the art. Now I feel that I\u2019m more enjoying bringing real Georgian dishes on the menu than explaining too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

The evolution is evident in Bushwick, where the 6,300-square-foot space is divided into three interconnected experiences: a main dining room centered around a traditional Georgian oven, a bar and lounge and the Let\u2019s Chama bakery. Together, they create a seamless flow from morning coffee to late-night wine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just delivering food,\u201d Chiokadze said. \u201cIt\u2019s delivering the love with it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

That ethos is embedded even in the restaurant\u2019s name. Beverage Director Lasha Tsatava explains that \u201cchama\u201d means \u201cto eat\u201d in Georgian \u2014 a word often repeated by mothers and grandmothers urging their families to the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cChama is the word every Georgian hears all childhood,\u201d Tsatava said. \u201cMom or grandma will run around you to feed you. This is how we share love. We feed you. That\u2019s why the guest is a gift from God. This is a cultural saying that we adopt, and this is our motto.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ChamaChef Nino has been involved with Chama Mama since its inception, and told Brooklyn Paper she was proud of its evolution.Photo courtesy of Let\u2019s Chama<\/p>\n

It stretches from the way dishes are shared to the way wine is poured and explained. And at Chama Mama, it\u2019s central to understanding the cuisine itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, we are the birthplace of wine,\u201d Tsatava said. \u201cThere is a scientific publication<\/a> that officially puts Georgia as the birthplace of wine. We are growing up [in Georgian culture] \u2014 we know this, we live in that culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Tsatava, introducing Georgian wine is as important as introducing Georgian food. The country boasts thousands of years of winemaking history and hundreds of indigenous grape varieties, many of which are unfamiliar to American diners. At Chama Mama, the goal is not just to serve these wines, but to contextualize them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are a wine lover, sooner or later you are going to come to Georgia,\u201d he said. \u201cYour journey is incomplete without Georgia.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

The journey often begins with amber wine, a traditional Georgian style made by fermenting white grapes with their skins in clay vessels buried underground. The result is complex, textured and unlike the white or red wines many diners are accustomed to.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you drink amber wine, you are literally tasting a history,\u201d Tsatava said.\n<\/p>\n

At the Bushwick location, the history is paired with a menu that highlights both staples and seasonal offerings. Dishes like khachapuri \u2014 an open-faced bread filled with cheese, egg yolk, and butter \u2014 remain central, alongside khinkali dumplings, pkhali vegetable p\u00e2t\u00e9s and richly spiced stews. The menu shifts with the seasons, showcasing a variety of the Georgian experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Khachapuri is a staple Georgian food. It\u2019s an open-faced bread filled with cheese, egg yolk and butter.Photo courtesy of Let\u2019s Chama<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time we step into a new menu, it\u2019s a lot of work,\u201d Chiokadze said. \u201cNow we\u2019re stepping into a spring menu at Chama Mama\u2014 herbal flavors, crunchiness, sourness. And of course, we have special Easter dishes, baking Easter breads and coloring eggs. When any holiday comes in Georgia, we have special food, and that\u2019s what we are sharing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The addition of Let\u2019s Chama expands that seasonal, everyday approach into the morning and afternoon hours. The bakery offers a range of Georgian pastries \u2014 both savory and sweet \u2014 alongside coffee and specialty drinks. It\u2019s designed to be approachable, a place where neighbors can stop in for a quick bite or linger over a latte.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoffee and bakery is something that a lot of us start with,\u201d Chiokadze said. \u201cWe have that joy of combining Georgian pastries with some Georgian flavors and twist into that routine that we are all in love with.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Bushwick, that routine is already beginning to take shape. Though the location has only been open for a short time, both Chiokadze and Tsatava describe a neighborhood eager to engage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe already have newcomers and neighbors,\u201d Chiokadze said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of introducing.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

For Tsatava, the connection feels particularly natural in a neighborhood known for its creative energy.
\n\"\"The Bushwick locations carries the same dishes that have made Chama Mama so popular.Photo courtesy of Dmitri Mais\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know we have a lot of artists here,\u201d he said. \u201cAnybody who walks in is like walking over to the studio that they have in a block or so. When we talk about culture and art, there is a lot of story to share.\u201d<\/p>\n

That curiosity, he added, sets Bushwick apart.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI think what connects to the Bushwick community more than other communities is curiosity,\u201d Tsatava said. \u201cThere is a predisposed narrative behind everything \u2014 through the dish, through the drink, through the cocktail. This will be a separate story \u2014 how Chama Mama becomes part of the Bushwick community and vice versa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chama Mama is based<\/a> in Bushwick, Brooklyn Heights, Chelsea, the Upper West Side and coming soon to Greenpoint.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Seven years after opening their first location in Chelsea, Chama Mama has opened their fourth location with a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":197205,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[78606,78607,78608,56824,78609,78610,72000,78611,78612,78613,22162,78614,78615,78616,22168,78617,78618,9,24,63,78619,78620,122,124,123,26378],"class_list":{"0":"post-197204","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-amber-wine","9":"tag-bakery-nyc","10":"tag-brooklyn-eateries","11":"tag-brooklyn-dining","12":"tag-bushwick-food","13":"tag-bushwick-restaurants","14":"tag-chama-mama","15":"tag-cultural-dining","16":"tag-dining-features","17":"tag-food-and-culture","18":"tag-georgian-cuisine","19":"tag-georgian-wine","20":"tag-international-cuisine-nyc","21":"tag-khachapuri","22":"tag-khinkali","23":"tag-letu2019s-chama","24":"tag-new-restaurants-nyc","25":"tag-new-york","26":"tag-new-york-city","27":"tag-nyc","28":"tag-nyc-food-scene","29":"tag-nyc-restaurants-2026","30":"tag-queens","31":"tag-queens-headlines","32":"tag-queens-news","33":"tag-restaurant-openings"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197204"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197204\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}