Jari Heinonen loves Christmas tarts – even so much that he wants to look at them every day at work.
Christmas tarts are among the favorites of many Finns. Inka Soveri
It all seems to have started from a Christmas cake craving. Jari Heinonen had eaten too many Christmas tarts 18 years ago, but still decided to take a couple of tarts to his workplace just in case – it was hard to resist them.
That’s how it happened that one tart was left uneaten. A few days later, Heinonen looked at the dried cake and the empty wall of the study.
Last year, Heinonen attached the 18th Christmas cake to the wall of the company from Kokkola and the year 2024 below it.
– A little color for the day, Heinonen laughs.
As incredible as it sounds, no one at Heinonen’s workplace has wondered about the Christmas tarts on the wall. Everyone knows Heinonen and his antics.
– I also nail work shoes to the wall. You have to have a little personality on the job site, so you’ll have a better time, Heinonen encourages.
He has been named the cake emperor at work. Heinonen carries this title with pride. The task of the Tart Emperor of Luuuha is to study each year’s tart harvest and be the first to choose the most beautiful Christmas tart.
The selection criteria are the shape and regularity of the sugars, the place of the plum jam, the evenness of the baking and the amount of powdered sugar.
Even though Jari Heinonen retires in February, the tradition of the tart emperor continues. Jari Heinonen
– A couple of hundred tarts are delivered to the coffee room from the company’s own canteen. We evaluate the average of the year, and from that we select the best individuals.
When the most beautiful of the year has been found, we cheer and clap. Heinonen states that the sense of play must be remembered.
Of course, the tart is screwed away in festive moods. Initiated people have small sparkling wine glasses with pear lemonade in them.
Although Heinonen immortalizes the Christmas tart on the wall, his own favorite is the “failed” tart. It is best if the tart dough has not risen, but the tart is even a little raw.
At Christmas time, Heinosen is overwhelmed with such quantities of tarts that he doesn’t even begin to estimate the number of pieces. The answer is a lot. Likewise, chocolate disappears by the kilo. Heinonen admits that he is a person for delicacies.
All I can say is that there is a nice line on the wall. Jari Heinonen
None of the Christmas tarts displayed on the wall has become moldy or turned into an unsightly appearance. Only the baking surface is slightly lighter and the pastry has hardened.
There is no end in sight to the tradition, because there is still another Mokoma and more wall space left.
Although Heinonen will retire in February, the next tart emperor has already been chosen. The name of the new emperor will be announced when Heinonen steps aside from the task.
Although Heinonen sees Christmas tarts all year round, he doesn’t feel like eating them only at a certain time of the year.
– When I retire, there will be time to start every day with coffee and a Christmas cake. After enjoying the tart in the morning, I’ll probably go to the garage to work on my hobbies, Heinonen plans.