The Art of the Toast

A tradition from the Eastern European country of Georgia powerful enough to thaw our region’s frozen social scene. 

The tradition is called a supra, a 4,000-year-old feast with food, wine and many toasts made by a tamada, or professional toastmaster.

Daniel Padrnos is a tamada, and it’s his mission to introduce this immersive experience to the Seattle area through the Supra Dinner Society, an almost-weekly event held at glassybaby’s Madrona studio.

The word supra means “tablecloth” in Georgian, and the event is built on the premise that guests are gifts from God. In Georgian culture, when a guest arrives, even in times of scarcity, it’s time to pull out the good china and share the best of what’s in your larder.

It’s the tamada’s job to read the room and keep the energy up through a series of toasts from 12 themes, Daniel explains. More than just “Cheers” or “Here’s to you,” the toasts at the supra move through the full range of the human experience—the things we all share but don’t always talk about. “The first toast is always to gratitude,” he continues. “There are some to love, to family and to peace.” In Georgia, the tamada is the sole toastmaster at a supra, but in Seattle, after the first round, anyone can give a toast if the spirit catches them.

When you sit down, the table is already full, laden with dishes that have their roots in a country that has been at the crossroads of the Silk Road for millennia. Expect khinkali, fat soup dumplings like xiaolongbao; khachapuri, a boat-shaped bread dish filled with cheese; roasted meats; and pomegranate-studded salads, all prepared by a local Georgian catering company called Mariko.

It’s a night of abundance and conviviality, punctuated by regular philosophical musings from the tamada that transform a table full of strangers into fast friends. The wine helps. But the magic is getting to know the people at the table and remembering that, in the end, we all want the same things: community and connection.   supradinner.com