Emma Ranne and Iida Laiho’s Kuore brings food creatives together under one roof
Iida Laiho and Emma Ranne are self-taught cooks who share a love of pop-up dinners and diving headfirst into new projects.
IN LATE SUMMER 2026, Kuore Kitchen opened its doors in Helsinki’s Ullanlinna neighborhood as a new kind of workspace for creatives in the food industry. Furnished with function in mind, the professional kitchen offers a cozy, community-minded setting for cooking, photo shoots, planning and hosting dinners.
The duo behind the project are seasoned hospitality professionals Emma Ranne and Iida Laiho, known for Helsinki food scene favorites such as the Supper Club dinners that became a hit on social media and the Boreal restaurant that recently earned its first Michelin star.
In Kuore’s professional kitchen, the raw stainless steel surfaces are balanced by carefully chosen objects and tableware. Ingo Maurer’s Floatation pendant light hovers above the custom-made long table like a crowning touch.
Hi Emma and Iida! Could you start by briefly introducing yourselves?
Emma: “Hi, I’m Emma! I handle PR and marketing for the restaurants Nolla, Elm and Nolita, and I also work on all sorts of creative productions, from long-table dinners and table styling to menu design and pop-up cafés. I’m especially interested in the overlap between food, community and culture, and one day I’d love to explore it from a well-being perspective.”
Iida: “Hey, I’m Iida. I’m the restaurant manager at Boreal, and alongside that I do all kinds of creative food projects, like pop-up dinners, food styling for shoots and other experiential food events.”
How did you two end up working together?
Emma: “We met when Iida came to help out at the pop-up café Barra. We already knew each other through Instagram and had bumped into each other at a few events. We’re both the type to throw ourselves into things, and that’s been the foundation of our friendship from the start.”
Iida Laiho is the restaurant manager at Boreal, which earned its first Michelin star in summer 2026.
Emma Ranne, who is moving to Ireland soon, launched her food career as a student by hosting dinners for strangers at home – dinners that went on to become a huge hit.
How did you both end up working with food?
Emma: “By accident! I’ve loved being in the kitchen for as long as I can remember, and cooking has always been my daily moment to be creative. When I was in business school, I really needed a creative counterbalance to my studies, so I started hosting Supper Club dinners for strangers at home. It all began with my curiosity about meeting new people, and I never would have guessed that hosting dinners would become so intertwined with my career. Since then, I’ve hosted dozens of dinners in Finland and in places like Amsterdam, Brussels and Italy.
I’m a self-taught cook, but sometimes I dream of going to culinary school. Last summer I did a week-long kitchen internship at Cafe Cecilia in London. I learned so much in a short time, and I’d love to do more internships in the near future.
I ended up in restaurant marketing a bit by accident too. I really believe you find your own path through chance, as long as you dare to say yes to opportunities.”
“I really believe you find your own path through chance, as long as you dare to say yes to opportunities.”
Iida: “I also ended up in the industry by chance. I lived in Belgium for a couple of years, and one of my favorite spots was a wine bar where I was a regular. I loved the place so much that I eventually started working in its kitchen. It was my first taste of a professional kitchen, and I was hooked right away. I was trained by an ex-Michelin chef who taught me an enormous amount.
That got me excited about continuing to work with food. After moving back to Finland, I started hosting pop-up dinners, and ever since then my calendar has been full of the loveliest food-related work. I’ve been curious enough to try a bit of everything and learned a lot along the way. What excites me most about food is that there’s always more to learn.”
• Read also: An interview with Iida Laiho >
A long row of Lundia open shelves covers the wall, giving tableware, tools and books a home.
Hem’s Molino grinders pair beautifully with the wooden shelves and tabletops.
And now Kuore: what exactly is the concept, and how did it come about?
Iida: “Kuore is a bit like a coworking office, but for creative people in the food industry. You can cook, shoot, host dinners, plan and work alongside others.”
Emma: “Iida found a suitable kitchen space and asked if I wanted to join the project. That set off a lot of dreaming and bouncing ideas back and forth. We’d both long wished for a space of our own where we could cook, shoot and host dinners without having to find a new venue every time. We soon realized that lots of other food creatives were looking for the same kind of space, and the idea of a shared kitchen began to take shape. We wanted to bring the professional kitchen out into the open and turn it into a place for creating and spending time together.”
Veark knives were a natural choice for a professional kitchen. Made in Germany, the PRK10 paring knife is forged from a single piece of steel.
For Kuore’s tableware, Emma and Iida chose Serax’s ceramic Dune collection, whose soft shapes were created by Kelly Wearstler.
Like the ceramic Dune pieces, the collection’s tumblers feature an expressive rim.
Tell us about Kuore’s interior and your choice of tableware.
Emma: “We wanted Kuore to feel both inviting and functional. The kitchen has lots of raw surfaces, and we didn’t want to hide them. A professional kitchen brings real practical advantages and an atmosphere all its own, and we wanted to highlight how well it works. The space is balanced by beautiful, useful objects, and together they create a harmonious whole.”
Iida: “In the middle of the kitchen is a table that our friend Alex Domeney made for Kuore. Above it floats Ingo Maurer’s Floatation pendant light, which brings softness and a touch of playfulness to the space. For tableware, we chose Serax’s Dune collection. Its earthy tones and organic shapes go beautifully with the stainless steel and wood.
“With open shelving, everything is on display, and everyday items become part of the interior.”
With open shelving, everything is on display, and everyday items become part of the interior. When it comes to tools, we value quality and beauty: Veark’s knives are a joy to use, and Hem’s salt and pepper grinders are as much eye-catchers on the table as everyday tools. Things have found their place through daily use.”
And what does the future look like for Kuore?
Emma: “We want to let Kuore evolve with the people who use it and whatever projects are happening at the time. It’s a place to work on your own projects or team up on shared ones, and we hope it becomes a home for all kinds of people and ideas.”
Iida: “Emma is moving to Dublin soon for new adventures. But we’re still dreaming of doing projects together at the kitchen in the future too!”
In Emma and Iida’s recipe, fresh plums turn into a spiced, bright-hued jam. Cutting the plums is quick work with Veark’s wide Santoku knife.
This treat is served on a Dune appetizer plate.
Recipe: Plum & bay jam
Ingredients:
1 kg plums
100 g (jam) sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
3 bay leaves
1 vanilla pod
Method:
Halve the plums, remove the pits and place them in a saucepan. Add the sugar, bay leaves, vanilla pod and 1 tbsp of water, then gently bring to a simmer.
Once the plums start to release their juice, let them simmer gently for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the plums have softened and the jam has thickened.
Remove the bay leaves and vanilla pod, then stir in the lemon juice. Transfer to a clean jar and leave to cool. Store in the fridge and enjoy on toast.
What better way to spend an afternoon in the kitchen than cooking up a big pot of jam for your toast!
Emma Ranne and Iida Laiho: Top 3 favorites
1. Ingredient
Emma: Bay leaf, lemon and beans
Iida: Nettle, damson plums and black trumpet mushrooms
2. Place
Emma: By the sea, my own kitchen and my grandparents’ place
Iida: The rocky shores of Suomenlinna, a restaurant kitchen just before service starts, and market squares in the morning
3. Food memory
Emma: Pancake parties as a kid, picnics and spontaneous weeknight dinners with friends
Iida: My first pop-up dinner, childhood summers and the strawberry cream cake at my sister’s birthdays, and family meal with the staff before evening service
See also:
Follow on Instagram: @kuore.kitchen.keittio, @emma.ranne and @iidalaiho
Read the story: Serax’s Dune and Zuma tableware reflect the eclectic vision of Kelly Wearstler >
Read the story: Introducing: Veark >
Published on 9 Oct, 2026
