Adding her own twist to the techniques honed by French pastry chef Cédric Grolet, Svitlana Kostiuk of Vanillana Pastry Studio has gained a steady following of Luxembourg foodies, eager to try her unique creations.
Originally from Ukraine, Svitlana Kostiuk has been based in Luxembourg for eight years but first took pastry lessons in her home country through one of the students of Cédric Grolet, whose dessert creations at Le Meurice in Paris fetch around €18 per piece.
Grolet focuses on pastries that, in appearance, look like the fruit they represent, celebrating each one’s essence in taste. Yet a thin chocolate layer is used to craft the piece, each carefully painted to appear like the fruit it represents.
Around two and a half years ago, Kostiuk, who works a day job in finance, decided to give her own pastries a go, developing Vanillana Pastry Studio. Today, her “storefront” and sales are managed through her social media, although she has plans to eventually develop a website.
“It’s not just a dessert, it’s entertainment, something unusual to impress others. You take a spoon, crack the dessert, and have the ganache and then the heart of it. They’re good for sharing.”
Svitlana Kostiuk, founder of Vanillana Pastry Studio.
Time-consuming process
Although Kostiuk’s creations cost a fraction of Grolet’s – €8 each, although she requires a minimum order of four pieces – she says she began the pastry studio out of her passion and doesn’t make a large profit for the time being, given that each dessert requires an input of at least €4, plus hours of work.
Kostiuk explains: “The ganache takes at least 12 hours to stabilise; there is the filling, and each is sculpted by hand. I have to freeze them before decorating.” For this reason, she asks customers to order a few days in advance.
Normally, she has at least eight to 10 types of desserts on her order list: several classics, but she also alternates options depending on the seasons. She has created pink lemons for special events, an orange with an Aperol spritz gel, persimmons with dark rum, nuts and coffee beans. Autumn sees figs and pumpkin on the menu, while in winter, she has experimented with black lemon with pepper which includes a bergamot aftertaste.
Health-focussed desserts
Kostiuk has also focused on making the desserts a bit healthier: “There’s no white sugar, most are vegan and lactose-free,” she explains.
Her first clients were from the Ladies of Luxembourg Facebook group, and she said word-of-mouth marketing has been critical for the Luxembourg business to go “from zero to something. It’s not a huge business yet, but it keeps me busy, and I have a lot of orders… when people invite each other over for dinner, they want something special for their desserts.”
