Estonia's culinary scene comprises an exciting mix of native, homegrown talent and chefs coming to the country from abroad. In this two-part series, we take a look at the stories of two of the country's top chefs: Angelica Udeküll of Michelin-recommended Wicca in Laulasmaa and Karoliina Jaakkola of Michelin Green-Starred SOO in Maidla.
Angelica is a born-and-bred Estonian who champions the produce and cuisine of her country and acts as an ambassador for its culinary scene. Karoliina, meanwhile, hails from Finland and also spent time living in New Zealand before making Estonia her home. Neither chef started life with the aim of taking up the profession – Angelica was destined to be a musician, while Karoliina was set to become an ice hockey player – but both found their true calling in the kitchen and have never looked back.
We asked them about their life growing up, their career to date and their hopes for the future.
Personal Background
Tell us about your life growing up in relation to food.
I was born in Tallinn and have spent most of my life in various districts of the city or its surrounding areas. My first home was in Merivälja, which was located by the sea. But most of my summers I spend on Estonia's second-largest island Hiiumaa, where my mother’s side of the family comes from. The sea has always played a central role in my life, influencing both my choice of work and place of residence. My childhood took place during Soviet-era Estonia, which naturally shaped my experiences according to the societal norms and opportunities of that time.Today, it would be hard to imagine a private house where every room was occupied by a different family sharing a common kitchen, but that was exactly the kind of lovely house where I spent several years of my childhood. And I wouldn’t say I remember that time in dark colours – quite the opposite, my memories of our neighbours and that communal lifestyle are rather fond. There was always something interesting happening in that shared kitchen, and I especially remember how the dishes prepared by the neighbour ladies always seemed much tastier than the ones made by my own family. I believe that this childhood experience in a 'shared kitchen' played a significant role in my career choice, leading me to become a chef instead of a musician, which might have been expected based on the school I attended for the first eight years.
Professional Background
Tell us about your professional journey.
It seems that cooking has been my talent and passion since childhood. I made my first cutlets when I was six years old, and at the age of 13, I found myself cooking for a large group for the first time, working as a cook for a week at a children's swimming camp. That was also my first paid job. By the time I was 15, I made a conscious decision to switch from studying music to pursuing a career in the food industry. My parents weren’t particularly happy about this decision, and even now, my mother occasionally jokes about how I swapped a music career for a chef or piano for a soup pot!In reality, I didn’t study to become a chef directly but rather pursued a degree in food technology, which differs somewhat in curriculum and focus from traditional culinary training. In addition to learning cooking skills, we also studied many aspects essential to running a food service business, such as kitchen design, product knowledge, management, accounting and more.
Looking back, it's fascinating to think that back then, cooking was taught in Estonia – and across the entire Soviet Union – based on a rather thick Russian-language book that compiled all the recipes permitted in restaurants. This culinary 'bible' was called Spornik (a recipe collection), and food establishments were only allowed to prepare and serve dishes listed in that book. Creativity and improvisation were not accepted.
The time when I graduated and entered the job market coincided with the beginning of the collapse of the Soviet Union. This made my first years of work incredibly exciting, as the old systems crumbled, giving way to entirely new types of restaurants and dining establishments, where creativity and uniqueness were highly valued.
The first restaurant where I worked as a chef after graduation was in Tallinn’s Old Town, on Rataskaevu Street, at Hotel Rataskaevu. Over the years, many different restaurants have occupied the same building and, so I’ve heard, a new fine dining spot is set to open there soon, possibly one of the most prestigious in the Old Town. I still vividly remember how intense those long workdays felt as a beginner chef – the logistics of food orders, the fast-paced environment and the constant pressure.
Things only got more challenging when my next significant culinary experience led me to work on the MS Estonia, a cruise ferry operating on the Tallinn–Stockholm route. The foreign ingredients, cooking techniques and work culture were vastly different from what we were used to. But for a young chef, it was all incredibly exciting and an immensely valuable learning experience. At that time, the head chefs on the ships were foreigners and, thanks to their connections, many of the most ambitious young chefs – including myself – had the opportunity to refine their skills in some of the top restaurants in Finland and Sweden. I can confidently say that those years played a crucial role in shaping my food philosophy and culinary style, which still characterise my cooking today. My career as a cruise ship chef on the Tallinn–Stockholm route lasted for eight years, ending in 2001 when the first Radisson SAS hotel opened in Tallinn, where I joined the inaugural kitchen team.
In 2003, life took me to Laulasmaa, a place that has remained dear to my heart ever since. To be fair, there was an exciting break between 2004 and 2011 when I worked for 3.5 years at Santa Maria as a menu engineer. My job there involved developing recipes for ready-to-eat meals for retail stores and training chefs in different companies on the use of spices. This experience, too, was incredibly valuable. But don’t assume that I’ve spent all these years sitting on sand dunes by the sea, admiring the waves! These years have been a whirlwind adventure, during which I furthered my education in Sweden, Iceland and Denmark.
When thinking about the individuals who have influenced my journey, I can't pinpoint just one name – each chef whose restaurant I’ve worked in has left their mark. If I had to highlight a few, one of my earliest inspirations was Edsbacka Krog, one of Sweden’s first Michelin-Starred restaurants, and its Head Chef Christer Lingström. Later, my time at Magnus Ek’s restaurant Oaxen was an eye-opening experience, particularly in the use of edible flowers and wild plants in food. Among Estonian chefs, perhaps the one who has influenced me the most is our culinary 'Grand Old Man', Dmitri Demjanov, thanks to whom I have participated in several internationally significant projects. One of the most important of these has been my involvement with Estonia’s Bocuse d'Or competitions.
Current Restaurant
How did you choose your current restaurant and location?
Why did I decide to tie my professional life to Laulasmaa? That’s a great question and, actually, the answer is quite simple – it’s just such a beautiful work environment. First and foremost, it’s by the sea, with a stunning white sandy beach complete with roses and pine trees. And you should see the sunsets – they are breathtaking, especially when viewed through the restaurant’s windows.From a culinary perspective, this restaurant constantly offers new challenges and opportunities for self-expression. In fact, Restaurant Wicca is part of a much larger venture – it is one of the crown jewels of LaSpa, a spa and conference hotel. In some ways, such a location is a blessing, but at the same time, it presents unique challenges that ordinary restaurants don’t typically face.
If you’re wondering how the restaurant got its name, the answer is quite logical – I found it in a book on herbal wisdom. In old England, Wiccas were people who understood the language of plants and knew how to use them for human well-being. This name essentially sums up our restaurant’s food philosophy. Wicca’s promise to its guests is that our menus are based on locally sourced ingredients. The menu changes with the seasons, drawing inspiration from nature and powerful plants, some of which we forage from the surrounding area, while others – such as edible flowers – we grow in our own garden. In cooking, we place great importance on traditional Estonian culinary techniques, which we blend with modern methods, offering guests both a sense of familiarity and moments of surprise.
A key highlight of Wicca’s beverage menu is the selection from local drinks producers. Guests can find an exciting array of non-alcoholic drinks, craft beers from small breweries, wines from Estonian vineyards and artisanal spirits. Additionally, we create our own berry liqueurs, perfect for savouring at the end of a dinner. During the cold winter months, Wicca also takes pride in offering a special tea menu, featuring unique herbal blends made from both local Estonian plants and carefully selected teas from across the sea.
Estonian Cuisine
What is your favourite Estonian ingredient and why?
My absolute favourite ingredients are definitely local white fish and forest treasures – probably because they are deeply rooted in Estonian DNA and naturally suit our palate. From a culinary perspective, both ingredients can be somewhat challenging, as most natural ingredients in our climate zone are highly seasonal. Unfortunately, there is never a guarantee of what nature will provide, but that’s precisely part of the excitement – the element of surprise makes working with local ingredients so special.What is your favourite Estonian dish and why?
It's very difficult to highlight just one favourite dish because I have many, and my cravings and preferences change with the seasons. However, there is one dish I truly love and start almost every day with – a sandwich on dark wholegrain rye bread.Would you say that you are an ambassador for Estonian cuisine or do you prefer to include European / global flavours as well?
I believe I can proudly consider myself an ambassador of Estonian cuisine, as the development of Estonian cuisine, preserving its traditions and advancing it further is an inseparable part of my daily life. It’s something I care deeply about and actively discuss whenever possible.However, one of my great passions is also travelling and experiencing new food and drink adventures. That’s why, from time to time, I enjoy preparing dishes from different national cuisines, and I especially appreciate Asian flavours. Once, when speaking with a Japanese food journalist, we came to the realisation that there are surprisingly many similarities between Estonian and Japanese food cultures.
Are your cooking techniques influenced by places that you have lived, worked or travelled to in the past?
I’ve definitely been influenced by the places I’ve lived, worked and travelled to, with Sweden and Iceland being particularly impactful. Additionally, South Korea has had a notable influence on me, especially their fermented vegetables, which are definitely among my favourites.What are the origins of the recipes that you use?
This is another question that's hard to answer with just one response, as each recipe has its own backstory. Some come from my grandmother's recipe book, some are inspired by cookbooks, others have been brought back from travels and some are pure creations of my own. In the Wicca kitchen, it’s quite common for the process of launching a new menu to involve testing and collective decision-making – deciding which flavours work well together and which techniques to use. This is how many of our recipes come to life.
Estonian Ambassador
You're well-known throughout Estonia. Tell us about some of the projects that you are involved in.
One of the most exciting parts of my culinary journey has been my active involvement in the Estonian Chefs' Association and working with the Estonian Bocuse d'Or team. Through these projects, I’ve had the opportunity to be involved with several international culinary competitions as an organiser. The most recent significant competition I was involved with took place in November 2024 in the Netherlands, where the S.Pellegrino Young Chef European Final featured Helena Vallimäe, the current sous chef at Wicca Restaurant.I was also very honoured to receive the Cordon Bleu award from the Estonian Chefs Association.
Another thing I am very grateful for is that fate has offered me several opportunities to appear as a host on a few television shows. One of the most well-known is the Estonian food culture show Suus Sulav Eesti (which translates as 'Melting on Your Tongue'). I am also proud to be the author of several cookbooks.
The Future
Looking 10 years into the future… Do you see yourself staying in your current location / staying in Estonia? Or would you like to experience cooking elsewhere in the world.
Being quite restless at heart, I often ask myself where I want to be in five or 10 years. However, as the years go by, it gets increasingly difficult to answer these questions. For example, if someone had told me in 2011 that the next 14+ years of my culinary life would be spent managing the catering at a spa hotel in Laulasmaa, it would have seemed like an unbelievable prospect. Yet, here I am and, at the moment, I still see so much potential for everything I’d like to accomplish.
An important part of my culinary career has been guiding young chefs – whether as a guest instructor at various culinary schools or by offering future colleagues the chance to practice in our restaurant kitchen. Today I see that my mission is shared by members of my team, who are also contributing to supporting young talent.
