Education · Mentoring · Authorship
Experience becomes knowledge.
I connect professional practice, pedagogy and people's development. My work spans adult learning, mentoring educators, entrepreneurship, food culture and the responsible use of artificial intelligence.
Practice since 1999
My career in education began in 1999. My earlier CV records teaching at L.G. Kaubanduse- ja Kulinaaria kool from 1999 to 2007 and leading Tallinna Erateeninduskool from January 2008. I subsequently developed curricula and supported educators at SA Tallinna Erateeninduskool and MTÜ Tetkool. Experience in culinary practice, management and education helps me relate a programme to the actual work learners will need to do.
My preparation includes a Grade IV cook qualification, studies in vocational pedagogy and school management, a bachelor's degree in the ärikorraldus programme and an MBA from Tallinn University of Technology. In education, I combine subject knowledge with clear assignments, assessment criteria and independent work. I want learners to understand how knowledge applies at work and which decisions still need specialist support.
Since 1999, I have developed or helped colleagues develop more than 40 curricula and study plans. This total is my confirmed account of my career; the school archive separately identifies 24 programme titles naming me as author or co-author. My mentoring includes preparing educators for a qualification examination in 2016 and working with three groups seeking Levels 5 and 6 in 2023.
In 2026, I am contributing to the joint preparation of educator development programmes with Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav and Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. My work includes coordination, concept development and substantive participation in all AI-related programme blocks. Alongside this, I am preparing The Sybarite's Kitchen for print and developing the material on food and art that I compiled and translated. This site brings together my professional projects, books and the public part of my Level 7 application portfolio.
Key milestones
1992
Completed training at Tallinna Kaubandus- ja Kulinaaria kool with the IV järgu kokk qualification; the document is dated 10 July 1992.
1999–2007
Taught at L.G. Kaubanduse- ja Kulinaaria kool, as recorded in my earlier CV.
2004–2009
Completed vocational pedagogy and school management studies, earned a bachelor's degree at Audentes and then an MBA at Tallinn University of Technology.
2008
My earlier CV records the role of director of Tallinna Erateeninduskool from 1 January 2008, combining teaching with educational organisation and curriculum development.
2012–2016
The school archive preserves programmes in entrepreneurship, service, cooking, food hygiene, food photography and catering management. In 2016, I prepared approximately 30 educators for a qualification examination.
2022–2024
Developed the 2022 SMM curriculum, supported three groups of Level 5 and 6 applicants in 2023 and prepared learning material on careers in AI in 2024.
2025–2026
I am developing book manuscripts, updating service, entrepreneurship and AI curricula, supervising an adult learner's placement and contributing to international programme development for educators.
2009-12-16
120 ECTS credits. The diploma and transcript document preparation in management, including strategy, marketing, entrepreneurship and innovation, human resources and research methodology.
2007-05-26
The programme is named ärikorraldus in the diploma. The degree is described according to the original document.
2004-06-28
Studies from 28 August 2003 to 21 June 2004, totalling 320 hours. Certificate issued on 28 June 2004.
2005-12-14
Studies from 6 April to 14 December 2005, 240 hours / 6 AP. The original AP credit designation is retained.
2004-04-19
Continuing education from October 2003 to April 2004, totalling 160 academic hours.
1992-07-10
Studies from 30 September 1991 to 10 July 1992. This is a historical qualification title and has not been converted into a current Estonian Qualifications Framework level.
The certificate confirms fulfilment of the Food in Art - Self Study requirements. Its date is not reliably legible on the available copy, and the document does not state a learning volume.
From experience to results
2026-07-04
On 4 July 2026, I taught a course in food safety, food hygiene and sanitary requirements organised by GP Training Center OÜ. The certificates name me as the trainer. The course comprised 4 academic hours; multiple participant certificates refer to this single course.
9 June–24 July 2026 · Töötukassa contract
Under a contract with Töötukassa, I supervised an adult learner’s placement at SA Andrei Gritskov Foundation during the contractual period of 9 June–24 July 2026. The contract names me as the supervisor. I organised work with data, documents, spreadsheets and draft operating instructions, set assignments and deadlines, and reviewed results. A plan containing 66 tasks with criteria, an initial ten-row practice spreadsheet and a diary entry for 9 June have been preserved. They provide specific evidence of the learning design and initial work, without establishing completion of the whole plan. In the assignment of 12 June, I required information needing verification to be flagged and reserved final decisions for the responsible specialist. The last on-site day was 3 July; later explanations record independent assignments on 10, 13 and 15 July and my review of their results. My final report described progress in systematic working, data checking and understanding the limits of independent decisions.
2024
I prepared the learning material Career Development in Artificial Intelligence: Essential Skills and Learning. The file is dated 5 July 2024 and the PDF contains 77 pages. It covers skills, practical projects, portfolios, critical assessment of data and models, ethics and responsibility. It is a distinct example of my educational writing.
2025–2026
In 2025–2026, I personally developed and delivered in full three programmes for upper-secondary pupils in grades 10–12: Teeninduse alused and Disaini alused at Ehte Humanitaargümnaasium, and Toidukeemia alused at Tallinna Tõnismäe Reaalkool. Each programme comprised 35 academic hours. My contribution covered content and assignments, teaching, assessment and reporting. Curricula, two contracts, offers, reports and correspondence document the organisation and outcomes; I confirmed my personal authorship and full delivery of all three on 25 October 2026. This is experience of teaching upper-secondary pupils. The combined programme volume of 105 hours includes the independent work specified in the curricula and is not a separate count of my contact teaching hours. Guest specialists also contributed to the service course.
2026–2027
I currently organise learning across five catering, entrepreneurship and management programmes at Estonian StartUp School and lead this work as director. I personally teach economics and business topics, cookery subjects and work organisation. My teaching role excludes law and languages; within mixed modules I identify the components belonging to my own field. In bartending, the contribution described here covers economics, stock, costing, transactions and work organisation. I confirmed this current role on 25 October 2026. The course pages publish a planned teaching period of 5 October 2026–31 January 2027. The courses are ongoing; I plan to complete them before submitting my application for the Level 7 adult educator qualification. My personal teaching hours are accounted for separately from total programme workload.
26 January–6 February 2026 · two SICI groups
I personally delivered two job club groups commissioned by SICI — MTÜ Integratsiooni Ühiskondlik Algatuskeskus. Twelve certificates are retained for participants across the two groups. They record the course Tööklubi „Uute oskuste ja kogemustega tööturule erialaõppe ja tööpraktika toel“, the period 26 January–6 February 2026, a volume of 28 academic hours on each certificate, and Andrei Gritskov as trainer. When preparing this portfolio on 25 October 2026, I confirmed that the certificates relate to both groups and were received by participants. The materials for adult jobseekers aged 40+ also name me as facilitator. They connect reflection on prior experience and transferable skills with a job-search goal, a CV, a cover letter, professional contacts and interviews. Planned tasks include an achievement portfolio, analysis of three vacancies, document preparation with individual feedback, a recorded self-introduction and a rotating interview role-play called Carousel. The materials establish the teaching design; completion of specific tasks and subsequent employment require separate evidence.
In 2023, I personally supported three groups preparing for the Estonian Adult Educator qualifications at Levels 5 and 6. I helped with self-analysis, completion of electronic portfolios, selection of evidence and preparation for assessment interviews. My confirmed overall preparation and mentoring contribution was 180 academic hours: three groups of 60. This is total work, not a separately verified count of contact teaching hours. I organised Russian- and Estonian-language groups, coordinated schedules and involved a colleague in specialist consultations. Following feedback, we increased the interval between the Estonian group's meetings so participants could prepare their self-analyses. Correspondence confirms that the courses took place; I do not claim that every participant gained the qualification.
In 2016, I prepared approximately 30 educators for a qualification examination. The year was clarified through archived correspondence; I separately confirmed the approximate number and my personal mentoring role. Within the schools, I also helped practising educators develop curricula and study plans. This connects individual support with the development of educational quality across an institution. The precise workload and outcomes for the entire 2016 group are not established by a complete set of records.
At SA Tallinna Erateeninduskool and subsequently MTÜ Tetkool, I developed programmes myself and helped colleagues with their development. My career total of more than 40 works includes both types of contribution and both curricula and study plans. The recovered archive contains 24 distinct titles naming me as author or co-author, with versions of the same programme counted together. Subjects include economics and entrepreneurship, office administration and project management, customer service, cooking, food hygiene, food photography and catering management. The archive shows the breadth of this work while preserving co-authors' contributions.
The published Estonian StartUp School catalogue contains ten curricula I developed, each comprising 35 academic hours. All ten version 1.1 PDFs, approved on 8 September 2026, name me as their compiler. They cover food hygiene, design, entrepreneurship, economics, service, food chemistry, service communication in Estonian, an entrepreneurship project, digital visual communication, and digital marketing and AI. For each curriculum I defined learning outcomes, content, methods, independent work and assessment criteria. The current PDFs address adult learners; separate historical versions were used with upper-secondary pupils. The catalogue documents development of ten curricula; the three school courses I personally delivered are described in E16. These ten are not automatically added to the career total of more than 40 curricula and study plans.
I developed the MTÜ Tetkool curriculum Turundus ja müük Facebookis ja Instagramis, which states an approval date of 4 May 2022. It comprises 150 academic hours: 78 classroom and practical hours and 72 independent hours. Its method centres on an individual project: the first assignment follows the first session, participants complete at least 14 homework tasks and defend their project. The source names a separate course trainer; my curriculum authorship does not replace that person's teaching role.
Five version 1.1 curricula approved on 8 September 2026 name me as compiler: practical occupational skills for an assistant cook — 260 hours; cookery, food preparation, menus and kitchen organisation — 390; bartending, drinks preparation, service and bar organisation — 260; small business planning and management — 156; catering business management — 390. Every hour is 60 minutes. The documents define the target audience, learning outcomes, modules, teaching methods, independent work and assessment criteria. These volumes describe learner workload across the forms of study specified in each curriculum; my personal teaching hours require separate accounting. The documents establish authorship, while my statement of 25 October 2026 confirms my current organisational and teaching roles. Final outcomes of the ongoing courses will be added after completion. These five curricula are not automatically added to the career total of more than 40 curricula and study plans.
When developing and revising curricula, I use Kutsekoda occupational standards to connect a work task, the required skill, the learning topic and its assessment. I refine content with industry practitioners. The historical Koka koolitused curriculum of 11 September 2012 explicitly names Kokk I, II, III, code 04-11052011-2.5/5s, and lists me and the course teachers as compilers. This is a concrete example of a standard being used in a programme. For newer versions, I continue to specify the applicable standard revisions and document changes to learning outcomes and assessment.
In my portfolio, I distinguish curriculum development, approval and teaching delivery. I preserve colleagues' authorship and the origin of materials, identifying my original work, adaptation and translation separately. A reference to a standard identifies the methodological basis; it does not indicate Kutsekoda accreditation. Assessing quality requires learner work, clear criteria, feedback and a justified next step. I therefore present documents alongside a professional explanation of my contribution.
In 2026, I am contributing to the preparation of programmes for teachers and lecturers with Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav, Ukraine, and Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland. I organised the meeting on 12 June and coordinated subsequent written discussions. I combined the original proposals into two directions and prepared Ukraine-Finland Cooperation: Two Priority Project Directions, a Coordination Note dated 15 August 2026 and agreed by the Ukrainian side for Haaga-Helia's review. On 21 August, the Finnish partner selected Responsible AI, Digital Pedagogy and Future-Ready Teacher Development for Resilient, Inclusive Education and identified the School of Professional Teacher Education for further work. My two-page Priority 1 Concept Note was sent on 22 August. It proposes a needs assessment, joint design of competencies and modules, a possible pilot and evaluation. I contribute to the substance of all AI-related programme blocks. Results so far are coordinated collaboration, agreed priorities and two concept documents. Development is ongoing; an approved joint programme, a completed pilot and secured funding are not claimed.
On 12 May 2026, the Academic Council of Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav conferred on me the title Honorary Doctor of Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav, recorded in Protocol No. 10. Supporting certificate No. 1179 is dated 24 May 2026. The university reported the diploma presentation on 15 June 2026, linking the recognition to international cooperation and support for the institution. This is an honorary title, not a research PhD, and it does not replace my documented MBA education.
According to my confirmed account, while working and teaching at SA Tallinna Erateeninduskool I held the historical vanempedagoog senior teacher status recorded by the ministry and EHIS. The personal award document still needs to be added to the evidence set. The recovered historical school licences document the institution's relevant teaching rights. This former status is not equated with the present Adult Educator, Level 7 qualification.
A letter dated 18 May 2023 records preparation of my nomination in the Aasta koolitaja, or Trainer of the Year, category. It establishes work on a nomination request. The reviewed archive does not yet contain acknowledgement of my personal nomination, a personal Town Hall invitation or an award decision. This entry therefore describes nomination preparation rather than an award or an established 2022 nomination.
Adult Educator · Level 7 application
These 26 sections connect my experience to adult educator competencies. Each distinguishes action, documented result and reflection. They are based on the current self-analysis; where a documented case is still missing, the section describes the methodological approach and next step. Original diplomas and confidential evidence belong in a separate assessment package.
Author’s library
Complete book: 54 cards and 3 appendices
My recipe collection brings together the full manuscript's 54 recipe cards and three appendices. Editorial work preserves the author's structure, standardises the recipes and identifies points that need checking. The public reading selection contains 41 cards; two need ingredient clarification and 11 need technical clarification. The complete author edition has been prepared in Russian, Estonian and English. I plan a printed edition; the current working edition is not yet a print-ready or kitchen-tested publication.
Open the bookComplete text edition: 16 chapters
I prepared, compiled and translated material on the relationship between food and art. The original illustrated document contains 172 pages; the working text is organised into 16 chapters. It considers food as a cultural image, artistic material and means of communication, connecting history, visual culture and practice. The complete working text can be read on this website in Russian, Estonian and English. My contribution is identified as preparation, compilation and translation; authorship of referenced works and illustrations remains with their creators.
Open the book