Restaurateur killed in crash 'epitome of the American dream'

Naturalized American citizen David "Chef Dato" Kadagishvili, who was killed in a crash along Route 217 Wednesday, lost his first wife and their children in a crash in his native Tbilisi, Georgia. "It was bigger risk for us to start family over again in Georgia," he said in a YouTube video.

Ken Jones, general manager at Chef Dato's Table in Derry, said the restaurant's namesake and owner had a passion for food and for people.

"People always say, 'He was bigger than life,' and he was. His heart was so big," Jones said.

David "Chef Dato" Kadagishvili, 50, of Unity, was killed in a two-vehicle crash along Route 217 Wednesday, on his way to his restaurant.

A naturalized American citizen, "Dato" -- short for David in his native Tbilisi, Georgia -- was the father of three children, ages 11, 9 and 4.

The Westmoreland County Coroner's Office said Kadagishvili died of blunt-force trauma to the chest and abdomen after his car went off the roadway near Derry, slid sideways, then came to rest in the path of a pickup truck driven by John G. Miller, 53, of Derry.

Jones said the chef was returning to the restaurant after picking up a liquor order in Greensburg.

Family friend and fellow Georgian Davit Shamatava said he was at the hospital with Kadagishvili and his wife.

"He was talking and everything, but he just died in her hands," Shamatava said.

Jones said the restaurant was open Thursday -- and will remain open -- as a tribute to the late owner.

"This place will carry on for him," Jones said. "That's what chef would have wanted."

Shamatava said he and Kadagishvili had plans to start a line of salad dressings this year featuring the chef's likeness on the labels to be sold at area grocery stores, which he plans to continue working on as another form of tribute.

Kadagishvili came to the United States in 1994 with a federal small-business partnership program and learned how to make bagels in Texas. After returning to the former Soviet republic of Georgia, he became the first bagel-maker in that country.

He met his wife, Kara Kurz, a North Hills native, in Georgia while she was running a foreign exchange student program.

"He was just an extremely warm-hearted and generous person," Kurz said yesterday. "We're all just numb. He will be so missed by everybody."

In a 2008 interview, Kurz said Georgians are "special people" attached to their culture.

"Dato has a charismatic quality about his personality, very unique, so people were drawn to him, as was I," she said.

Friends noted Kadagashvili was proud that he became an American citizen on Jan. 16, 2009. That pride is on display outside his restaurant in the form of a large American flag.

Westmoreland County Commissioner Chuck Anderson, who hosted parties catered by the chef, said Kadagishvili appreciated the liberties he had in the United States.

"He came here with his skills and he turned himself into an icon," Anderson said. "He was the epitome of the American dream, worked hard and achieved success. He saw the opportunities, and he took them. He will be missed in Westmoreland County."

Anna Peagler, now director of events and catering at Westmoreland County Community College, worked with Kadagishvili at Mountain View Inn in Greensburg, his first local job in 2001 after he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York City.

"I've worked with a lot of chefs over the years," she said. "Dato just had a different personality and he wanted to be out with the people. Hugs all the time."

Mark Henry, executive chef at Tree Tops Restaurant at Polymath Park Resort in Acme, was then executive chef at Mountain View Inn and hired Kadagishvili as a partner. "I think more than anything else, he was a great chef and he offered a unique perspective on food because of his background. He had a contagious excitement and joy for food and for pleasing his guests, and to me that's what made him special."

Kadagishvili ran the kitchen and dining room at the Tin Lizzy restaurant in Youngstown before opening Chef Dato's Table in June.

His personality showed through online where he has posted more than 50 YouTube videos, instructing viewers how to make international dishes.

Nick Ker, who shot and edited the videos for Kadagishvili, said they were just one more way for the chef to connect to people.

"He was such a charismatic and inspiring person, it was easy to shoot these videos," Ker said. "He was very much a people person, and it's one way to remember him. That's the way he would want things."

In one video, Kadagishvili said he knew he wanted to become a chef at age 13.

"When I fixed something, I gave it to somebody to try and they loved it," he said in the video. "It motivated me to create more, do something more, make something better. I just enjoy every second of it."

Kadagishvili shares some of his personal history in the video, saying a car accident that killed his first wife and their children made him consider his safety and move to the United States.

"It was bigger risk for us to start family over again in Georgia," he said.

He won a 2003 national citrus recipe contest and was featured on Food Network's show, "Ultimate Recipe Showdown," competing for the best hamburger with an Indian-inspired Briyani burger.

He had donated his time and talents to numerous charitable events, including Latrobe's End Hunger Now cafe, and had been a member of the Greensburg Rotary Club since 2003.

Mary Clymer, a past president of the group, said the chef had an optimistic and courageous spirit.

"I am grateful to have known him," she said. "He gave more than he got; he was no stranger to generosity."

She said when Kadagishvili first came to the area, he was offered jobs in Pittsburgh restaurants and as a private chef but decided to settle in Westmoreland County.

"He wanted the independence of his own restaurant and enjoyed the ambiance of people coming in," she said.

Mark Parker, Rotary Club president, said he had just visited the restaurant Saturday with 31 members of his extended family to celebrate Orthodox Christmas.

He said the atmosphere there reflected Kadagishvili's welcoming attitude.

"The restaurant was Dato; it was warm and inviting," Parker said. "You would walk in and smell the wonderful smells and it was warm and cozy. ... You knew it was his place."

Parker said Kadagishvili was living his dream while serving others.

"Our motto at the club is service above self, and that's the way Dato was," Parker said. "He used his gifts and his talents not for his gains, but for the community. He stands as an example for the community of how we should live our lives and realize our dreams."

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Barnhart Funeral Home in Greensburg. A public memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday at the restaurant.