Meet Paul Rimple

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Paul Rimple. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Paul, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I found my “purpose” in my father’s stack of National Geographic magazines, in his jazz record collection and in my mother’s support of my life choices, as difficult as that may have been for her (I haven’t lived in the US since 1996). My parents provided me with the tools and blessings to follow my dreams and for that I am eternally grateful. I can’t imagine living any other kind of life.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I moved to Tbilisi in 2002 and got into journalism. I covered the region mostly for Eurasianet, along with The Christian Science Monitor, Deutsche Welle and was a columnist at The Moscow Times. Bylines include BBC, Foreign Policy, CNN, Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown (where I was also a guest in 2016), The Daily Beast and Roads & Kingdoms. By 2016 I was getting burnt on covering politics while it was also getting tougher to sell stories from a country that had fallen off the radar in face of other regions making headlines then, like Syria. It was at this time a culinary tour company contacted me and asked if I could write about Georgia’s burgeoning food and wine culture – the best beat I have ever had. That led to me designing and leading culinary tours for them. The pandemic strained our relationship to the breaking point and I left to form my own culinary tourism company, Meet Me Here Tbilisi.

As I describe on my site, “Meet Me Here Tbilisi is a food and wine tour company for people who love discovering the world through their taste buds and who revel in the harmonies of clinking wine glasses and laughter around a table. It’s for story lovers who prize meeting the people behind an extremely lusty and emotional culture, and for the bold and curious who travel with their eyes and hearts wide-open and feel comfortable loosening their belts a notch at the dinner table.”

I once had a guest who complained I was too personable to lead tours, an observation I found so preposterous as it is the foundation of the trips I design. We venture off the beaten path into private homes, kitchens and wine cellars for a truly authentic travel experience. This will be my second summer bringing guests to Tusheti, the most remote region of Georgia and one of the most otherworldly places in the world. We have added a day to the trip so that we can ride by horseback to hang out with shepherds who make sheep’s cheese and eat a hearty lunch of khinkali – dumplings – with them.

In addition, I have a blues band with local musicians called The Natural Born Lovers.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

As a musician I learnt how to listen. This doesn’t apply solely to music but to everything else we encounter in life: to the silence, to the birds, to our loved ones as well as strangers. This has certainly helped me become a better storyteller.

Compassion. Talent is nothing without it. But is compassion something you learn? I don’t know, I’ve always assumed you either have it or not, but maybe if you take the time to slow down to be more considerate of others, you can become a more compassionate person.

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

I started my tourism business in the middle of a global pandemic. Then Russia invaded Ukraine, which kept a lot of tourists away from Georgia. 2024 was the first year I saw growth but now geopolitics are again threatening not just my livelihood but the future of the entire country. A pro-Russian government has stolen elections and is trying to establish an Orwellian autocracy. I planted a small vineyard three years ago – literally planted my roots in this country. How hairy would things have to get before leaving this behind? I have a child to protect. The political turmoil we are experiencing has a direct impact on my fledgling business; already 70% of winter reservations in Tbilisi have cancelled. I depend on western tourists to sustain my business.

All I can do is ride it out and see. When I’m not working with my band, I’m on the streets protesting for a free Georgia with the tens of thousands of other demonstrators who have been doing this well into the second month every single day.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Image of three men tasting wine and the image of the woman with spices taken by Justyna Mielnikiewicz

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