A journey that starts with flavour and unfolds into hospitality
On a quiet street in Haapsalu’s Old Town, surrounded by the sea on three sides, Old Hapsal Hotel stands in a romantic, flower-scented garden — a boutique hotel in Haapsalu where every detail tells a story.
A story of journeys through different countries and culinary cultures. A story with us at its heart — Veiko Kaup and Daire Kaup.
My name is Daire, and for the past five years I have been the hostess and head chef of our family-created Old Hapsal Hotel.
I have always been drawn to people, their ways of life, and the flavours shaped within different culinary traditions. For me, cooking and hiking are one and the same journey — both call for curiosity, mindful presence, and a desire to understand the world through all the senses.
A passion that began with a single marshmallow cake
It all began at the age of fourteen, when I bought my first electric hand mixer from a foreign-currency shop called Turist — using the very first salary I had earned myself.
There was only one goal: to make a marshmallow cake. Most likely, that moment marked the beginning of a lifelong passion for food and new experiences.
By education, I am an economist, health manager, and marketer.
For many years, I led teams and HoReCa departments across various food industry companies, but at a certain point I realised that hands-on work is what truly brings joy — both to myself and to others. I went on to complete the Level 5 professional chef programme at Haapsalu Kutseharidus Keskus, achieving the highest professional chef qualification in Estonia.
Journeys, cultures, and flavours
I have never been the kind of traveller who lies on a beach.
For me, a holiday means movement, getting to know local cultures, and discovering new flavours. Whether in India or France, Japan or Mexico — every journey has been a search for people, scents, and food cultures.
All my journeys have unfolded step by step, from point A to point B — sometimes along mountain trails, sometimes through markets and restaurant kitchens.
I believe you understand different cultures best when you are in their kitchens: when you see what they eat, how they prepare their food, and how much joy they take in it.
I have reached a dream where every winter I pack my bags for at least a month and travel to a corner of the world to learn its cooking and food culture.
This journey has allowed me to work in France at the Michelin-starred restaurant Perochon, study in Italy at a culinary school in Florence, spend days slicing beef in Japan at a wagyu yakiniku restaurant, and learn from home cooks in a family restaurant in Greece, as well as in homes across India and Mexico, where grandmothers shared their treasured recipes.
These journeys have brought flavours into my cooking that are at once simple and unfamiliar — just as happens when you explore kitchens and markets across different cultures.
Hospitality as a way of living
At Old Hapsal Hotel, all these worlds come together: a passion for food, hiking, and human warmth.
The dinners and shared cooking experiences we offer our guests are my way of passing on that experience — bringing the flavours of different countries here, to Haapsalu.
It is no coincidence that our most frequently requested experiential dinner is inspired by Japanese cuisine — pure flavours, beautiful and refined.
Nor is it a coincidence that our most inspiring room is India. The spirit of our travels lives on within the hotel itself. Every room is furnished with a memory or detail from a journey — a small object, each carrying its own story — at Old Hapsal Hotel.
For me, cooking and hospitality are one and the same.
They are a way of creating goodness and emotion — at once on the plate and within the person. This is how breakfasts at Old Hapsal Hotel, as well as seasonal wedding and celebration menus and shared cooking experiences, come to life. Everything begins with a simple wish: that every guest becomes part of the experience and truly feels welcome.