HS Helsinki When the restaurants closed, chef Miro Banik started cooking in people’s homes – now he tells what it’s like to put food for guests in sauna rooms that lack a stove.

Cook Miro Banik39, wakes up so early that the rest of Helsinki is still sleeping soundly.

He then drives to procure raw materials for the evening.

“Sometimes, because of a particular customer’s desired product, I drive for even two hours to get what I’m looking for,” Banik says.

After the tour, he drives his company to the kitchen in Oulunkylä and starts preparing the food.

Banik is a chef with a kitchen but no restaurant. He prepares meals at guests ’homes, or in a boat or sauna room if needed.

Other chefs all over Finland engage in similar activities. In large cities, a chef can be ordered at home at least in Espoo, Tampere, Turku and Lahti.

“There are activities in many places, and I think that’s great. It also says that the restaurant culture is changing, ”says Banik.

When Banik started cooking at home, he still worked in the restaurant as his main job. The idea started when Banik organized a pizza school for children at his workplace at the time.

One of the children strongly thought he wanted his own chef at home. When the National Board of Patents and Registration was told that the name Omakokki proposed by Banik was vacant, he started a small business.

“The child got his own chef at home. It was more about vacuuming than cooking that time, but everyone had fun, ”Banik laughs.

Gig son of the second, third and fourth. Banik had a job, so he had thought it was more of a hobby than an actual job, even though there were gigs especially on the weekends.

The corona pandemic changed things. Banik was laid off from his job. He decided he didn’t want to sit at home. Banik wanted to work and acquire new customers.

Since Banik did not initially have his own kitchen, he prepared food on the customers ’own premises.

“It was fun. I went to the client’s home up to three or four hours earlier to get the food ready on time. Eventually, however, I get my own kitchen because it takes time to prepare. It made it much easier for you to go to the gigs, ”he says.

The most typical guests are small groups and couples who want to enjoy a restaurant-level dinner in their own home. During the Corona period, many restaurants have been closed, and the threshold for leaving a restaurant when restrictions have eased has been high for many.

To the customer several menus are suggested from which he can choose as he pleases. Some order barbecue food, some burgers, for example. Beef fillet is one of my favorite favorites.

Banik, who moved from Slovakia to Finland 16 years ago, sometimes also offers his customers dishes from his own country.

The on-demand chef takes care of the food side, and the customer buys the drinks. Wine recommendation lists are also on the menu.

Most guests order a three-course dinner. It costs about 250 euros for two people. If there are six or more customers, the price is 85 euros per person.

Multi the customer has remained in Banik’s mind. One customer arrived at the agreed location by helicopter. Another customer wanted open-fire food and a salad buffet for 40 people. The problem was that we had to walk 3.5 kilometers to the party.

“That’s when I used my creativity. I took the bucket out of the stroller and used it to transport the food to it, ”she says.

He was once called from a boat where a party was being held. The customer asked if Banik could take care of the food side.

“I asked when the party is, and he replied that in two hours. The show was also very successful despite the hustle and bustle. ”

Because food is prepared in the entrepreneur’s kitchen, the customer only needs to have a working stove. It is not always the case, but even in such situations, creativity goes a long way.

Banik tells of a party for which burgers had been ordered for 17 people.

“The only problem with that was that the party was held in the sauna facilities and there was no kitchen at all. A hot plate was used to order steaks from the online store. ”

Banik is in his vocation. He could not imagine doing anything else.

“You have to be social in this job, and you have to be able to read the situation. For example, we agreed on how to cover the table. I’ll tell you how the food is prepared. Most want to chat with the chef during the evening, but not all. That’s okay too. ”

According to Banik, Finland is “wonderful”, except when it comes to hockey.

“It’s a tight place for me, because Slovakia always loses to Finland!”