Kertu Lukas

One of the most respected confectioners in Estonia, Kertu Lukas, co-owner of Suhkruingli confectionery, loves her work because of its variety and constant self- challenge.

‘’It’s like a gamble, like madness,’’ she laughs. Kertu, who studied public relations, advertising and media at university and worked in the same field, came to pastry work half by chance.

‘’At one point in my life, I needed to take a little breather and I ended up on a one-year pastry course,” she says.

“I’d been the editor of a food magazine and consequently involved in the world of food for a long time, so such a course seemed like a nice and interesting change.’’

Her interest in the pastry world grew rapidly, and she began to take the view that “at that time there were few pastry chefs and pastry shops in Estonia who would have used high-quality raw materials.

“So, I came up with the idea of trying to do things differently and it seemed that there was a market for that.

“There is a difference in quality between chocolate and chocolate in the same way as there is a difference between meat and meat.

“Everything is very precisely in place when making a cake,” she explains and “there are very specific rules that must be followed.

“An experienced confectioner knows exactly what happens if you add a gram more or less of an ingredient and that’s what really fascinates me. It’s pure chemistry,’’ she says.

‘’I have never considered myself a very talented artist and have never been able to write or draw beautifully. Rather, I have discovered this side of myself during work,’’ she says.

And we can safely say that every cake or eclair made by Kertu is like a work of art, crafted to the last detail.

“My goal is not to reach a huge career summit, so that I necessarily have to make cakes for the King of England or open my own café in the Champs-Élysées, Paris.

“My goal is continuous self-development. I really enjoy my work, its freedom from routine and the opportunity to try, experiment, develop.’’