Valery Meladze openly spoke about his sons from Albina Dzhanabaeva

Wikipedia has articles about other people with the surname Meladze.

Valery Shotaevich Meladze

(real name -
Valerian Shotaevich Meladze
; born June 23, 1965 (1965-06-23)[1][2][3], Batumi) - Soviet and Russian, Georgian singer, actor, producer and TV presenter. Honored Artist of the Russian Federation (2006)[5], People's Artist of the Chechen Republic (2008)[6][7]. Member of the Public Chamber of Krasnogorsk[8][9]. Three-time winner of the National Russian Ovation Award, multiple laureate and winner of the Song of the Year and Golden Gramophone awards, seven-time winner of the Muz-TV Award, five-time winner of the RU.TV Award. The younger brother of composer, singer, producer, Honored Artist of Ukraine Konstantin Meladze.

Biography[ | ]

Childhood, youth, student years[ | ]

Born on June 23, 1965 in Batumi in a working-class village. My parents had nothing to do with music: my grandparents, father and mother worked as engineers. Here he graduated from a music school where he studied piano. After leaving school he worked as a telephone operator[10].

In 1989 he graduated from the Nikolaev Shipbuilding Institute named after S. O. Makarov with a degree in mechanical engineer for ship power plants [11]. In 1994, a candidate's thesis was written on the topic: “Intensification of exchange processes in an ion exchange filter with a pseudo-vibration-liquefied cation layer.”[12]. During his studies, he actively participated in the institute’s musical group “April”[13].

Musical period[ | ]

The author of the lyrics, music and arrangements of almost all songs is his older brother Konstantin Meladze. From 1989 to 1993, the Meladze brothers were members of the rock group “Dialogue”. The acquaintance with the leader of the group, Kim Breitburg, happened thanks to drummer Anatoly Deinega and his wife, who noticed the brothers at a dance at an institute in Nikolaev[14].

He made his first solo appearance in 1992 with the song “Don’t disturb my soul, violin...” as part of the “Starry Evening” concert[15], dedicated to the upcoming Winter Olympics in Albertville. In 1993 he performed in Kyiv at the Roksolana flower festival; At the same time, a contract was signed with producer Evgeny Fridland[16]. In December 1993, at the invitation of Alla Pugacheva, he took part in her “Christmas Meetings” with the song “Limbo”[17][18][19].

In 1995, Sir's

, which instantly brought him fame.
In 1996, the singer released his second solo album, The Last Romantic
, the name of which was inherited from the 1987 film dedicated to the virtuoso pianist Vladimir Horowitz. Six months after the release of the second album (March 7 and 8, 1997), two concerts took place at the Olimpiysky Sports Complex.

In 1998, Samba White Moth's

.
In 1999, the fourth solo album was released. That's how it was
.
In 2003, the fifth was released - Nega
. The creation of the latter took three years.

In 2005 he presented the concert program “Ocean”[20]. Since the same year, Meladze has annually been a member of the jury of the international competition for young pop singers “New Wave”.

In 2020, in honor of his anniversary (50 years), the production center Velvet Music presented him with a tribute album to VM from VM

with his songs, which were sung by the artists of this label. In the same year, Valery and Konstantin Meladze, for the first time in 30 years of creative activity, recorded a joint duet for the song “My Brother”[21][22].

Working on television[ | ]

• 2004 - co-host (with Ruslana Pysanka) of the NTV program “Country of Soviets”[23].
• 2005 - mentor (together with Alexander Revzin and Ekaterina Gechmen-Waldek) of the musical project “The Secret of Success.”[24]
• 2007 - music producer (together with his brother Konstantin) of the seventh season of “Star Factory”.
• 2012, 2013 - co-host of the program of the first (together with Ekaterina Varnava and Natalya Stefanenko)[25] and second (with Natalya Stefanenko and rapper Potap)[26] seasons of the “Battle of the Choirs” project.
• 2017 - from February to April he was a mentor in the “Voice” project. Children. Season four" together with Dima Bilan and singer Nyusha.[27]
• 2018 - in February he again became a mentor in the “Voice” project. Children”, in the fifth season - together with Pelageya and Basta.
• 2018 - from September he becomes a mentor in the new project “Voice. 60+" (season 1) together with Pelageya, Lev Leshchenko and Leonid Agutin.
• 2019 - in February he again became a mentor in the “Voice” project. Children”, in the sixth season - together with Pelageya and Svetlana Loboda.
• 2020 - in February he again became a mentor in the “Voice” project. Children”, in the seventh season - together with Polina Gagarina and Basta.

Valery Meladze in 2020

Valery Meladze has long gone down in the history of the national stage. The musician has dozens of music awards, an army of millions of fans, as well as collaborations with the brightest artists.

Despite his fame, Valery Meladze rarely appears on the pages of yellow publications. It’s not for nothing that numerous interviewers note the singer’s calm disposition. It is not typical for the latter to find himself at the epicenter of a scandal. Valery Meladze prefers to attract the attention of fans with new songs rather than shocking antics.

Valery Meladze in 2020 on the set of the show “The Voice. Children". Instagram @meladzevalerian

For so many years, Meladze’s loyal fans have become accustomed to the fact that their idol embodies a vanishing breed of artists. Those who are disgusted by intrigue and shocking behavior. At the same time, he lives the life of an ordinary person with the only difference that it sometimes becomes public knowledge. Especially when it comes to the wives and children of the performer.

Family[ | ]

• The first wife is Irina Meladze (Malukhina). Valery and Irina got married in March 1989[11]. In order to obtain Moscow registration, they had to file a fictitious divorce and in 1998 they got married again[28]. In 2012, relations between the spouses were effectively terminated. On January 21, 2014, the magistrate judge of magistrate court district No. 199 of the capital’s Kuntsevo district satisfied Valery Meladze’s claim for divorce from his wife Irina[29]. son (born in 1990 and died 10 days later)[30][31];
• daughter Inga Valerievna Meladze (born February 7, 1991);
• daughter Sofya Valerievna Meladze (born May 18, 1999);
• daughter Arina Valerievna Meladze (born December 7, 2002)[32].

Personal life

Valery Meladze is married for the second time to an ex-member of the VIA Gra group. The first chosen one of the future artist was Irina, with whom they married in 1989. According to the woman, she did not immediately warm up to Meladze with warm feelings. After meeting, they spent another couple of years apart, then decided to start dating.

According to the singer’s ex-wife, she honestly admitted to him that she doesn’t love him yet, but she will definitely love him. This is exactly what happened in the future. In 1991, the couple's first child was born, but the boy would live only ten days. Irina could not bring herself to come to the baby’s funeral. Valery Meladze buried his son. The loss turned into depression for both spouses, but soon happiness happened in their family.

In 1991, a girl, Inga, was born - the eldest daughter of the singer and his first wife. At that time, Valery Meladze had not yet performed his main hits and remains a little-known performer. According to the musician, at that time they lived on ten dollars a month.

In this marriage two more girls will be born: Sophia and Anna. At the end of the 90s, the couple divorced in order to obtain registration in Moscow, and after that they got married again. Nevertheless, in 2012 the couple actually ended their relationship, and a couple of years later they officially divorced.

According to Irina, she felt unpleasant changes in her relationship with her husband a couple of years before the separation. Allegedly, the husband simply did not want to talk to her about it, although the wife tried to find out the reason for the changes in his behavior. Later, the musician allegedly lost his temper, saying that he really has another one. However, he never said her name. Later, Irina’s friend told her that it was Albina Dzhanabaeva.

Valery Meladze with his daughters Sofia, Anna and Inga. Instagram @meladzevalerian

After this, Irina will invite Dzhanabaeva to meet, but she will allegedly refuse. The woman will try to save her marriage, although at first it will seem to her that it is impossible to forgive the betrayal. However, the couple will still separate, and Meladze will marry Dzhanabaeva. As it turned out, she gave birth to a son to the musician back in 2004, the boy was named Konstantin.

In 2014, Valery Meladze married Albina Dzhanabaeva, and in the same year the singer gave him a son, Luka. In May 2019, the artist said that sometimes she has thoughts about a third child. Nevertheless, rumors about discord in the family sometimes arise in the press. They are especially fueled by Dzhanabaeva’s statements that she is sometimes jealous of her husband.

However, it also happens that Valery Meladze becomes a participant in high-profile scandals.

Confession[ | ]

State awards[ | ]

• 2006 - honorary title “Honored Artist of the Russian Federation” - for services in the field of musical art
  [5].
• 2008 - honorary title “People’s Artist of the Chechen Republic”[6][7].

Awards[ | ]

2017

1. 1995 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Sera”)
2. 1996 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Actress”)
3. 1996 - laureate of the Ovation Award in the Song of the Year
   (song “Sera”)[43]
4. 1996 - Golden Gramophone award (song “Vera”)
5. 1997 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Samba of the White Moth”)
6. 1998 - “Song of the Year” award (song “You Spoke”)
7. 1999 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Beautiful”)
8. 1999 - laureate of the Ovation Award in the Soloist of the Year
   [43]
9. 2000 - “Song of the Year” award (song “The Night Before Christmas”)
10. 2000 - Golden Gramophone award (song “Tequila Love”)
11. 2001 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Comedian”)
12. 2002 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Let’s hide our tears from strangers”)
13. 2003 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Ocean and Three Rivers” (duet with the group “VIA Gra”))
14. 2003 - “Song of the Year” award (song “I can’t live without you”)
15. 2003 - Golden Gramophone award (song “I can’t live without you”)
16. 2004 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Shards of Summer”)
17. 2004 - “Song of the Year” award (song “There is no more attraction” (duet with the group “VIA Gra”))
18. 2004 - national music award "Muz-TV" in the category "Best Duet"
    (duet with the group "VIA Gra" "Ocean and Three Rivers")
19. 2004 - national music award "Muz-TV" in the category "Best Performer"
20. 2004 - MTV Russia Music Awards 2004 in the category “Best Song”
    (duet with the group “VIA Gra” “There is no more attraction”)
21. 2004 - Golden Gramophone award (song “There is no more attraction” (duet with the group “VIA Gra”))
22. 2005 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Foreigner”)
23. 2005 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Salute, Vera!”)
24. 2005 - national music award "Muz-TV" in the category "Best Duet of the Year"
    (duet with the group "VIA Gra" "There is no more attraction")
25. 2005 - national music award "Muz-TV" in the category "Best Performer"
26. 2005 - Golden Gramophone award (song “Salute, Vera!”)
27. 2006 - “Song of the Year” award (song “No Fuss”)
28. 2006 - national music award "Muz-TV" in the category "Best Performer"
29. 2006 - Golden Gramophone award (song “No Fuss”)
30. 2007 - Golden Gramophone award (song “No need for sugar”)
31. 2008 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Parallel”)
32. 2008 - Golden Gramophone award (song “Parallel”)
33. 2008 - laureate of the Ovation Award in the Pop Music
    [43]
34. 2009 - “Song of the Year” award (song “In spite of”)
35. 2009 - Golden Gramophone award (song “Contrary to”)
36. 2010 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Turn around” (duet with Grigory Leps)
37. 2010 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Heaven”)
38. 2010 - diploma “Best song of 2010” (duet with Grigory Leps “Turn around”)
39. 2011 - RU.TV 2011 award in the category “Best Duet”
    (duet with Grigory Leps “Turn Around”)
40. 2011 - Golden Gramophone award (song “Heaven”)
41. 2012 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Lost and Not Found”)
42. 2013 - RU.TV 2013 award in the category “Best Singer”
43. 2013 - national music award "Muz-TV" in the category "Best Duet of the Year"
    (duet with Vakhtang "Light of the Setting Sun")
44. 2013 - Golden Gramophone award (song “Light of the Setting Sun” (duet with Vakhtang))
45. 2013 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Light of the Setting Sun” (duet with Vakhtang))
46. 2013 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Don’t lose me” (duet with Valeria))
47. 2014 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Free Flight”)
48. 2014 - national music award "Muz-TV" in the category "Best Video"
    (duet with Valeria "Don't lose me")
49. 2014 - Golden Gramophone award (song “Free Flight”)
50. 2014 - “Song of the Year - 2014” - “Singer of the Year” award
51. 2015 - RU.TV 2020 award in the “Artist of the Year”
52. 2015 — Anniversary Award “Golden Gramophone”
53. 2015 - “Song of the Year” award (song “My Brother” (duet with Konstantin Meladze)
54. 2016 — Nominee “Golden Gramophone” (song “Love and the Milky Way”)
55. 2016 - “Song of the Year” award (song “It’s Easy to Say Goodbye”)
56. 2017 - RU.TV 2020 award in the category “Best Video Clip”
    (song “It’s Easy to Say Goodbye”)
57. 2017 - “Radiomania 2017” award
58. 2017 — “Road Radio Star” award
59. 2017 - “Song of the Year” award (song “Freedom or Sweet Captivity”)
60. 2018 - “Heat Music Awards 2018” in the category “Best Video Clip”
    (song “Freedom or Sweet Captivity”)
61. 2018 - Golden Gramophone award (song “Freedom or Sweet Captivity”)
62. 2019 - “TopHit Music Awards 2019” in the category “Best Performer”
63. 2019 - RU.TV 2020 award in the category “Best Duet”
    (duet with Mot “How Many Years”)
64. 2019 - Golden Gramophone award (song “What do you want from me”)

Creativity[ | ]

SC Olympic, 2008

Discography[ | ]

Main article: Discography of Valery Meladze

Studio albums

1. 1991 - In the middle of the world
   (as part of the “Dialogue” group)
2. 1993 - Autumn cry of a hawk
   (as part of the Dialogue group)
3. 1995 — Sera
4. 1996 — The Last Romantic
5. 1998 — White Moth Samba
6. 1999 — That's how it was
7. 2003 — bliss
8. 2008 — Contrary to
9. 2015 — My brother. Singles 2010—2015

Concerts, collections

1. 1997 — Live Olympic Moscow
   (concert recording)
2. 1999 — The Best
3. 2002 — The present
4. 2005 — Ocean
5. 2008 — The Best
6. 2015 — Half a hundred

Video albums

1. 2006 — No fuss
2. 2009 — 15. All clips

Mini albums

1. 2020 — What do you want from me? E.P.

Videography[ | ]

Filmography[ | ]

1. 1996 - “Die of happiness and love” - chief designer
2. 1996 - “Old songs about the main thing 2” - taxi driver
3. 1997 - “Old songs about the main thing 3” - Mimino
4. 2001 — “Women’s Happiness” — cameo
5. 2002 - “Cinderella” - Cinderella’s father, watchmaker
6. 2004 - “Sorochinskaya Fair” - damn
7. 2006 - “Star Vacation” - Captain Z
8. 2006 - “First at Home” - mafia
9. 2008 - “New Year’s Tariff” - colorful Georgian
10. 2010 - “Santa Claus always calls three times” - Santa Claus
11. 2014 - “Jolly guys;)” - cameo

Soundtracks[ | ]

1. 1996 - “To die of happiness and love” (“Loneliness”, “New Year’s”, “Road”)
2. 1996 - “Old songs about the main thing 2” (“Jamaica”)
3. 1997 - “Ten Songs about Moscow” (“Moscow Evenings”)
4. 1997 - “Old songs about the main thing 3” (“My clear star”)
5. 1998 - “New Year’s Eve at the Opera” (“Tell me, girls”)
6. 1999 — “Dunno on the Moon (cartoon)” (“Dunno on the Moon”)
7. 2000 - “Old songs about the main thing. Postscript" ("Wedding")
8. 2001 — “Women’s Happiness” (“Don’t Go”)
9. 2002 — “Cinderella” (“What people can’t do”)
10. 2004 - “Sorochinskaya Fair (musical)” (“I liked you”, “Can’t buy love”)
11. 2006 - “Star Vacation” (“Do it right now”)
12. 2006 - “First at Home” (“Under the Snow”)
13. 2008 — “Admiral” (“Contrary to”)
14. 2008 — “Inhabited Island” (“She’ll Never Be Mine”)
15. 2011 - “Santa Claus always calls three times” (“Old Year”)
16. 2016 — “Milky Way” (“Love and the Milky Way”)

Singles[ | ]

1. 1994 - “Don’t disturb my soul, violin”
2. 1994 — “Limbo”
3. 1995 — “The Night Before Christmas”
4. 1995 — “Sera”
5. 1995 — “Midsummer”
6. 1996 - “How beautiful you are today”
7. 1996 — “Girls from High Society”
8. 1997 - “Samba of the White Moth”
9. 1998 — “Beautiful”
10. 1998 — “Queen of the Freeway”
11. 1998 — “Old Year”
12. 1999 — “Dream”
13. 1999 — “Dawn”
14. 2000 — “Tequila Love”
15. 2001 — “Comedian”
16. 2002 — “Let’s hide our tears from strangers”
17. 2002 — “I can’t live without you”
18. 2003 - “Ocean and Three Rivers” (feat. VIA Gra)
19. 2003 — “C’est la vie”
20. 2004 - “There is no more attraction” (feat. VIA Gra)
21. 2004 — “Shards of Summer”
22. 2005 — “Salute, Vera”
23. 2005 — “Foreigner”
24. 2006 — “No fuss”
25. 2006 - “Bring Back My Love” (feat. Ani Lorak)
26. 2007 — “No need for sugar”
27. 2007 — “Parallel”
28. 2008 - “Unrequited” (feat. Anastasia Prikhodko)
29. 2008 — “Contrary to”
30. 2010 - “Turn around” (feat. Grigory Leps)
31. 2010 — “Heaven”
32. 2011 — “Stay with me”
33. 2012 — “Lost and Not Found”
34. 2012 - “The Light of the Setting Sun” (feat. Vakhtang)
35. 2013 - “Don’t lose me” (feat. Valeria)
36. 2014 — “Free Flight”
37. 2015 — “White Birds”
38. 2015 - “My Brother” (feat. Konstantin Meladze)
39. 2016 — “Love and the Milky Way”
40. 2016 — “It’s easy to say goodbye”
41. 2017 — “Freedom or Sweet Captivity”
42. 2018 - “Mom, don’t worry!” (feat. MBAND)
43. 2019 - “How Many Years” (feat. Mot)
44. 2019 - “What do you want from me?”

Notes[ | ]

1. ↑ 12
   https://www.last.fm/music/Valery+Meladze
2. ↑ 12
   https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0577319/
3. ↑ 12
   https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0577319/bio
4. https://www.rbc.ru/society/21/08/2018/5b7bc6ab9a794722d0139923
5. ↑ 12
   Decree of the President of the Russian Federation V. Putin dated September 22, 2006 No. 1044 “On awarding state awards of the Russian Federation” Archived November 4, 2013. // document.kremlin.ru
6. ↑ 12
   The President of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov awarded the title “People’s Artist of the Chechen Republic” to the famous singer Valery Meladze Archived copy dated February 2, 2014 on the Wayback Machine // chechnya.gov.ru (December 16, 2008)
7. ↑ 12
   Valery Meladze became People's Artist of Chechnya // pravda.ru (December 16, 2008)
8. Valery Meladze supported the authorities of Krasnogorsk in the fight against drunkenness in parks and squares // Website of the administration of the city district of Krasnogorsk MO
9. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC CHAMBER // Website of the Public Chamber of the City of Krasnogorsk
10. Telephone operator and scientist: 10 unknown facts from the life of Valery Meladze // m24.ru
11. ↑ 123
    First channel. Documentary film. Biographical film “Valery Meladze. No one is to blame" (Broadcast - November 30, 2013) // Channel One
12. Valery Meladze: for the first time about his relationship with Albina Dzhanabaeva and divorce from his wife // 7days.ru
13. Two families of Konstantin Meladze: why the producer hid his affair with Vera Brezhneva for many years. 05/11/2019
14. Nikolaev socio-political newspaper. The drummer of the legendary group “Dialogue” Anatoly Deinega has died. 08/07/2014
15. Valery Meladze - Don’t disturb my soul, violin... (1992) - YouTube
16. Biography of Valery Meladze // afisha.mail.ru
17. Valery Meladze - Honored Artist of the Russian Federation - Song “Limbo” // v-meladze.ru
18. The song “Limbo” performed by Valery Meladze at Alla Pugacheva’s “Christmas Meetings” (1994) // youtube.com
19. “Christmas Meetings” by Alla Pugacheva (1994) // youtube.com
20. Valery Meladze - “Ocean, 2005” **** (Video)
21. The Meladze brothers will present their first duet in Minsk | News
22. Valery and Konstantin Meladze - “My Brother” ***
23. Valery Meladze: “We complement each other” // NTV.ru
24. Channel "Russia" reveals the secret of success of musical performers // km.ru
25. About the first season of the “Battle of the Choirs” project // russia.tv
26. Battle of the Choirs Season 2 // vokrug.tv
27. VOICE.CHILDREN-4. The main children's vocal show in the country // 1tv.ru
28. VIDEO. MUZ TV. "Love Story" program. Valery Meladze (2004) // youtube.com
29. A court in Moscow upheld the claim of singer Valery Meladze for divorce // rapsinews.ru (January 21, 2014)
30. Irina Meladze - about her ex-husband: “I thanked Valery more than once for leaving the family” | TV program: TV guide and show business, program schedule for today and for the week, new... (unspecified)
    (inaccessible link). Retrieved March 19, 2020. Archived November 5, 2020.
31. Irina Meladze: Everything is burned inside me
32. Meladze owes banks millions of rubles for the apartments of his three daughters // aif.ru (August 12, 2010)
33. On the wings of love: all about the secret wedding of Meladze and Dzhanabaeva, Chaliapin’s ceremony and others | StarHit.ru. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
34. Hello magazine. Albina Dzhanabaeva and Valery Meladze: a love story from the first person 11/18/2018
35. Russian radio. Albina Dzhanabaeva confessed her love to Brad Pitt. 05/22/2019
36. Meladze spoke for the first time about his son from Dzhanabaeva // woman.ru
37. Valery Meladze gave his son a rare name
38. Albina Dzhanabaeva gave birth to a second son from Valery Meladze // KP.RU
39. 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }} // DAYS.RU INTERNET NEWSPAPER VERSION 5.0 (inaccessible link)
40. https://elenahahaleva.org/latifundist-na-dotacii-iz-gosbyudzheta/
41. Meladze about speaking at a scandalous judge's wedding: “I worked for free” - MK
42. The artists who attended and TV presenter Solovyov stood up for the high-profile wedding of the daughter of a Kuban judge - Blogs - Echo of Moscow, 07.17.2017
43. ↑ 123
    National Russian award in the field of musical art "Ovation". Story. Laureates. // ovacija.ru

Men's cooking from Valery Meladze

Valery Meladze knows a lot about good food. In his homeland, Georgia, it is a shame not to understand food and wine, especially if you are the head of the family, the owner of the house. He happily shared with the readers of “AiF. Superstars" with their original developments in the field of culinary art.

Why does a man need cooking?

— They say that male chefs cook better than female chefs. That’s why the chef in a restaurant is often a man. This is probably because we love to eat more. I love to cook, although I don’t do it often. But if I take on this task, rest assured, it will turn out delicious. I have never used a cookbook. Everything I know about cooking is an inheritance from my mother or the result of long-term experiments.

How often do you feed your family?

“Now my wife or our daughters’ nanny is in charge of the daily diet in our family. But sometimes you want to cook something yourself. As a rule, in the morning this desire is embodied in assorted eggs.

One of the foundations of oriental cuisine is, of course, barbecue. Who do you trust to prepare such an important dish?

— Of course, when we go outdoors, I take charge of preparing the barbecue. Even though I am Georgian, I prefer Armenian kebab. To prepare it, generous juicy pieces of meat with bones and a small layer of fat are used, plus large, fleshy tomatoes. I also love Uzbek kebab, when small pieces of lamb, strung on thin skewers, are fried over high heat. Lamb usually doesn't need to be cooked as thoroughly as pork.

Is there a universal recipe for making shish kebab?

— Making a good shish kebab is not at all easy. This requires a special attitude and, of course, experience. First you need to choose the right meat. Which one exactly is a matter of taste. But it should not be too greasy and at the same time not too dry. Then you need to marinate it correctly, so that the marinade does not interrupt the taste of the meat itself, but slightly highlights it. But the most important thing in cooking barbecue is the ability to feel the fire and coals. If you miss the time and leave the coals too long, the heat will not be enough and the kebab will not cook, and if the coals are not ready yet, the meat will burn on top and remain raw inside. But if you cook shish kebab correctly, you will immediately rise in the eyes of others.

As a connoisseur of Georgian cuisine, what can you say about the quality of dishes in restaurants? How much do you think chefs adhere to tradition?

— I don’t often indulge in Georgian food in a restaurant. Firstly, I can cook this kind of food myself at home. And secondly, as a rule, festive Georgian dishes are presented in restaurants. They are quite rich and high in calories. In Georgia, you don’t see this kind of food on the tables every day. Everyday Georgian dishes are healthy and easily digestible. For example, fried green beans or mchady - flatbreads mixed with corn flour and water. In general, they cook differently in different regions of Georgia. The same khachapuri in Imeretian style is completely closed and flat, but in Adzharian it is made like a boat with cheese on top. And on the border with Ossetia they make khachapuri with spinach, which in appearance resembles pizza. But all Georgian dishes must contain spices - this is sacred!

Besides Georgian cuisine, what other cuisine do you prefer?

— I love Japanese and Chinese cuisine. Chinese food is wonderful - light and filling, yet inexpensive. Japanese is very refined. By the way, “Yakitoria” have now opened in Moscow, which in terms of service are almost better than Japanese ones. For example, in no restaurant in Japan have I found the favorite seaweed salad that we offer here.

And you just have to go to an Indian restaurant with a fire extinguisher. Even “moderately spicy” dishes, according to Indians, cannot be eaten by our people without tears. I like Italian cuisine. For example, Italian grappa wine somehow reminds me of Georgian chacha, which my grandmother prepared beautifully...

In general, I like to try dishes of different nations. And in this regard, I am impressed by Moscow restaurants. Even if a restaurant is positioned as Italian, as a rule, you can also order dishes from other cuisines. And I’m not even talking about the choice of wines. This is not the case, for example, in Japan, where an Italian restaurant will offer exclusively Italian dishes and wines. This is inconvenient, because not every visitor understands the Italian wine list.

But in America there is an insane amount of food. It is almost impossible to stay hungry in this country, even if you have very little money in your pocket. There are also expensive restaurants where you won’t get much of a meal, but you’ll leave a lot of money behind. And there are small eateries, for example Chinese ones, where for little money you can eat deliciously for two days in advance.

You are good at food, but what about the other side of gourmetism - being overweight? Diets, sports - what do you personally prefer?

— I don’t follow any special diet. In general, I am not a supporter of any fashionable separate nutrition programs. I believe that you can eat anything, just don’t overeat. And you need to do sports, then you will be healthy and cheerful. And if you torment yourself because you want to eat something, but the diet prohibits it, it will do no good to your psyche or stomach. In the Caucasus, they drink wine and eat meat, live long and happy lives, and still manage to give birth to children in their old age! I love to sit at the table and enjoy delicious food and drinks. One way or another, many positive emotions are associated with food. I try not to overuse this, but there are situations, such as holiday feasts, when it is quite difficult to restrain myself. After such holidays, I arrange fasting days. I eat only vegetables and fruits.

Some people practice fasting, which is now fashionable...

— Fasting, although a fairly effective way to bring yourself back to normal, is probably not the best. Gluttony, of course, is a sin. But during fasting it is easy to become despondent, and this is an even greater sin. So we have to balance between two extremes.

All that remains is to find out the attitude towards alcoholic beverages. After all, what would a feast be without wine!

— Yes, for a good mood and well-being, it is useful to drink a little good wine every day. I treat wines very carefully. And in general to alcoholic drinks, although, as a rule, I don’t drink a lot. Scientists recently discovered the following pattern: French people who drink a glass of red wine a day are much less likely to suffer from heart disease and nervous disorders than their compatriots who do not follow this rule. So a little good wine will only do you good.

FRIED EGGS - “ASSORTED”

— For this dish, in addition to eggs, you will need one onion, a small tomato, herbs (parsley, cilantro) and preferably some boiled mushrooms (for example, champignons). First, fry the onion, cut into thin rings, in vegetable oil. You can add some spices to it - pepper or khmeli-suneli - as you like. It’s better not to skimp on onions; and you need to make sure that it does not overcook - it becomes golden, but not brown. During this time, you can cut the mushrooms into slices and the tomatoes into small cubes. Then add the mushrooms to the onions, and when they are browned, add the tomato. Next you should carefully pour the eggs over it all (I usually put 2-3) and add salt. Scrambled eggs are fried over low heat; At the same time, you need to make sure that the yolk does not cake, becoming covered with a white film, but only thickens a little. When the scrambled eggs are ready, I sprinkle them with finely chopped parsley and cilantro. And for the greens to become soft, you need to cover the scrambled eggs with a lid for 15-20 seconds. It will take about 15 minutes to do everything.

— Sometimes I cook traditional Georgian dishes: satsivi, ajapsandali, pkhali. Georgian cuisine has a wonderful sauce made from walnuts with the addition of garlic, herbs and seasonings. It is usually prepared for satsivi, but can also be added to vegetables.

PHALI

To prepare the sauce you need to take: about one glass of peeled walnuts, 2-3 cloves of garlic, herbs - parsley, cilantro, oregano. Crank all this through a meat grinder 2-3 times until the mass becomes homogeneous. Then mix everything with warm chicken broth until it reaches the consistency of sour cream. Then you can take cabbage or spinach leaves, boil them in salted water for 5-7 minutes, then squeeze them and pass them through a meat grinder. Add a little vinegar and this same sauce. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top. It turned out to be a traditional Georgian pkhali.

ADVIСE:

How to avoid a hangover

- Firstly, you still need to take care of yourself so as not to drink too much. I think every person knows his own threshold in this matter. Secondly, under no circumstances should you mix different drinks and you should only consume a high-quality product. And thirdly, it is necessary to have a good company. For me, this factor is almost more important than the amount of alcohol. For example, the morning after celebrating my own birthday with friends, I feel much better than, say, after some kind of official banquet.

But, of course, if things are really bad, you should eat something hot in the morning. For example, in Georgia they prepare a rich broth based on pork or beef. It's called khash. It really helps to come to your senses.

Or another remedy: the same evening, immediately before bed, dissolve two aspirin tablets and drink. It will be much easier in the morning.