- Meet the people shaping the future of gastronomy
33 / Kharkov City, Ukraine
The Ukrainian cake-maker who started a pastry revolution
Part artist, part pastry chef, Dinara Kasko is a pioneer of the confectionery world who is best known for her unique cakes made from 3D printers – her designs include silicone moulds in the shapes of bananas, cherries, hearts and even children’s pop-it toys. With almost a million Instagram followers and a huge network across social media channels, she has influenced a young generation of bakers, from professional chefs inspired by her methods to novice cooks who use her 3D silicone moulds at home. Kasko shares her knowledge and inventions with the world, selling her uniquely shaped cake moulds as well as teaching culinary art online to students from more than 150 cities. Since the war began in early 2022, Dinara has fled Ukraine and is living as a refugee. She converted her website to take donations and has been supplying essential medical supplies to Ukraine, while running online classes and working to revive her cake business.
Born and raised in the now-destroyed Kharkiv City, Dinara took an interest in art and craft from a young age before studying architecture and design and then working as both an architect and a designer. In 2015, she started making architectural moulds as a hobby at a time when there was little innovation in the sphere. Her designs generated attention on the internet, allowing her to turn her passion into a business that developed into a team that now mass-produces and sells her moulds in almost 100 countries. Dinara also has an eye on health, making sure to use the best quality ingredients and add nutritious touches to her recipes wherever possible. Through her different projects and her disruptive approach to confectionery, she aims to create a new gastronomy culture that merges food, art, innovation and higher quality standards. Her art adds new life to a traditional craft, spawning imitators the world over.
“I see my cakes as edible design objects. I create art that disappears when you consume it. It's a reference to the idea that nothing lasts forever.” – Dinara Kasko
- "Architecture is about understanding the potential of empty space in our imagination. This abstract quality is key to shape; it is key to everything. Dishes have an architectonical dimension, and this has given Dinara Kasko not just the ability to find a way to reshape cakes using precious and complex geometries, but also to find solutions in the urgent field of a human conflict so close to her. We would like to acknowledge Dinara Kasko for her vision, talent, creativity, and, most of all, action."
- Joan Roca
- El Celler de Can Roca
