When did you start your career?
An Interview with Alex, Executive Chef
I finished culinary school in Estoniain 2000, which took about 4 years. Afterwards, I took several career courses in different countries. I studied in France, Belgium, Netherlands and the last year I was in Spain.
Oh, I like desserts! But here at the lodge I actually do everything, from bread to desserts.
Would you say it is an international cuisine?
Yeah, but mostly with local ingredients. You can find a lot of fish, a lot of reindeers and a lot of berries. Of course, I also need to add ingredients from other countries, because in the middle of nowhere you cannot find everything what you need, like root vegetables for example — at least not in winter time as there is no sun.
Do you also prepare vegan and vegetarian meals?
Yes. Guests usually tell me their preferences in a booking form. So I know when they are coming and can prepare in advance. We also have a lot of requests for dairy free and I’m also planning a lot for people who have different allergies.
What is your favourite dish you like cooking?
Actually, I like cooking vegetarian food. But it is hard to say, what I really like. One day it can be pasta, one day it can be something else like beef.
Do you also have recommendations for wine?
Yeah, I made a lot of courses with wines from different regions. I also learned from sommelier courses, so I can recommend a nice one to go with the respective dish.
When you think about other chefs, what do you think makes your kitchen/ your cooking special?
My cooking style is like a freestyle one mostly, especially in summer, when the menu is a bit lighter. Sometimes, it just comes to my mind, I see ingredients and I put them together. I have been cooking for 25 years now and I also have a lot of experience with many VIP guests. In Estonia for example, I made desserts for Queen Elisabeth and dinner for Metallica or for Prodigy. Tallin is a quite popular city for people visiting and doing concerts. I also worked in the US embassy for one year. There were so many people coming, like politicians. It was quite interesting and I learned a lot.
In Estonia for example, I made desserts for Queen Elisabeth and dinner for Metallica or for Prodigy.