Chefs Trace Caviar's Journey to Tbilisi, Redefining Quality Beyond Price

Chefs Austin Waiter and Felipe Riccio, who run restaurants including March, the Marigold Club, and Montrose Cheese & Wine, traveled to Tbilisi, Georgia, to visit Panchenko Caviar House, the source of roe for their Altima Caviar brand. The trip transformed their approach to sourcing and serving caviar, emphasizing patience, transparency, and balance over price or prestige. At Panchenko, they learned that sturgeon can take up to 20 years to mature, and the fish are raised in ponds fed by river water from the Gombori mountains, with careful monitoring and salting processes that can extend over years. The chefs now frame caviar discussions like wine, focusing on species, texture, salinity, richness, minerality, and finish rather than hierarchy. They advocate for producer transparency regarding species, origin, farming method, harvest, maturation, handling, and storage. At March, a Michelin-starred restaurant since 2024, caviar must serve a purpose in a dish; at the Marigold Club, they offer six selections from four sturgeons and five countries with a celebratory yet approachable service; at Montrose Cheese & Wine, they educate guests on storage and serving. The chefs believe that reducing caviar to a Veblen good diminishes its complexity, and they aim to make it understandable and enjoyable, not just expensive.