Kulturhuset Fiini's kitchen: from café to school lunches and public events

Kulturhuset Fiini is a home for culture, art, and events. It houses a daycare centre, a school, and senior housing, all under one roof. Dieta was responsible for designing and implementing the kitchen and catering solutions in collaboration with architects, builders, and operators. The result meets the needs of staff and customers alike while opening new possibilities.

Kulturhuset Fiini in Pori is bustling. The venues accommodate students and staff, local residents, and event organisers, ranging from companies to community groups, all at the same time. The school dining hall, cultural venues, café Blåbar, and event arena are all under one roof.

"Moving a wall transforms the school restaurant into a concert hall or a seated dinner venue for hundreds of guests. The café's name pays tribute to the iconic Mustikka that once stood here; people still come to share memories of the place," says Laura Räsänen, Huikoo's Restaurant Manager overseeing café and event services.

The kitchen needed to accommodate school lunch service, seated dinners for 250 guests, 600-person events, and daily café operations.

"A production kitchen for school meals and an event kitchen have very different requirements. One challenge was working out how to serve dinner to 250 guests from a school kitchen," Räsänen says.

A trusted partner for a complex kitchen project

Dieta was chosen to design and implement the complex kitchen project, based on their prior accomplishments at other Huikoo locations. Dieta's ability to provide a full package, from planning and equipment to furnishings and commissioning, supported this decision.

"I've worked with Dieta on several projects. The collaboration has always gone smoothly, and even large, complex projects have been completed successfully. It is also important that maintenance and other services continue to operate reliably after the venue opens. When I heard Dieta was involved, I knew straight away we were in good hands," says Jani Torkko, Huikoo's Project Manager.

As services grew, plans were quickly modified to meet each new requirement. Over the course of this multi-year construction project, both the stakeholders and the plans changed frequently, requiring ongoing data collection, team coordination, and open communication. The entire project came together piece by piece, like a puzzle, with the needs of architects, developers, operators, and kitchen professionals all fitted together into one working whole.

"In a space this versatile, you need to involve staff and end users in planning as early as possible, so the spaces genuinely serve everyday operations," Räsänen emphasises.

"The earlier we can work through solutions together, the smoother the project runs and the better the result aligns with actual needs," Torkko says.

Built to meet every kitchen need

The kitchen serves not only Fiini in Pori but also Huikoo's diverse business, enabling a wide range of services. When the kitchen runs smoothly, profitability improves. The solutions support a wide range of use cases without compromising performance, and the unified whole connects the kitchen, serving area, café, and production into a single, cohesive space. Well-designed areas also affect daily working life: the kitchen's spaciousness, movable surfaces, and functional workstations reduce the workload in both school food service and event preparation.

"A functional kitchen has a direct impact on employee well-being and job satisfaction. It's important that people feel comfortable in their workplaces," Räsänen highlights.

After the project is successfully completed, development continues.
"Fiini's strength is its versatility, and we're constantly coming up with new ideas. Our kitchen is more than a support function — it's an enabler. Thanks to Dieta, the kitchen is never what holds us back — it's what drives us forward," Räsänen says.

Built to meet every kitchen need

The kitchen serves not only Fiini in Pori but also Huikoo's diverse business, enabling a wide range of services. When the kitchen runs smoothly, profitability improves. The solutions support a wide range of use cases without compromising performance, and the unified whole connects the kitchen, serving area, café, and production into a single, cohesive space. Well-designed areas also affect daily working life: the kitchen's spaciousness, movable surfaces, and functional workstations reduce the workload in both school food service and event preparation.

"A functional kitchen has a direct impact on employee well-being and job satisfaction. It's important that people feel comfortable in their workplaces," Räsänen highlights.

After the project is successfully completed, development continues.

"Fiini's strength is its versatility, and we're constantly coming up with new ideas. Our kitchen is more than a support function — it's an enabler. Thanks to Dieta, the kitchen is never what holds us back — it's what drives us forward," Räsänen says.