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Passion for pizza in the middle of everyday life at NOVI
At NOVI you won't just find a lunch spot - you'll find a pizza baker who has turned his passion into his livelihood.
At Caspers Café at NOVI, lunch is not just about getting full. Here, food is an experience and part of the community that brings people together every day across companies. One of the people behind the experience is the pizza baker Diana Nicoleta Luca.
Diana is a trained chef and has more than 11 years of experience in the kitchen - including eight years at various Italian restaurants, including The Mill in Hirtshals and True Taste in Aalborg. It was here that she truly fell in love with Italian cuisine and its uncompromising approach to taste, ingredients and craftsmanship.
“I specialize in Italian food, and it’s something I’m really passionate about. I bring everything I’ve learned over the years to Caspers Café,” she says.
The kitchen won over the studies
Diana is originally from Romania and first came to Denmark in July 2013. The year she still describes as “the best Danish summer ever.” The plan was to study multimedia design, but her interest in cooking pulled her in a different direction.
“Food has always been a big interest of mine. The kitchen just felt right,” she says.
Today she works in a canteen world that differs from restaurant life in many ways.
“In a restaurant you never know what the day will bring. It’s chaotic, but also euphoric. In a café and canteen, the work is more structured, and it gives you the peace to refine the quality and experience,” she explains.
Focus on quality and good ingredients
For Diana, pizza is much more than fast food. It is one of the cornerstones of Italian cuisine and loved by many – precisely because it can be adapted to every taste. For her, pizza is about balance, craftsmanship and respect for the ingredients.
The perfect pizza, according to Diana, should have a crispy base, fluffy and soft edges and be made with fresh ingredients. And during a busy lunch break, there are two things in particular that are crucial:
“Timing and consistency. It has to be fast, but the quality has to be the same. People have to have the same good experience every time,” she says.
In the middle of life at NOVI
Working at Caspers Café is something very special for Diana. Unlike restaurant life, where you are often hidden away in the kitchen, there is a completely different contact here with the guests and the companies that have their everyday lives at NOVI.
“It’s a very vibrant environment. I talk to people every day and feel the shared love for pizza. It’s nice to see colleagues sitting together, laughing and spending their lunch break here. You can really feel the community,” she says.
At lunchtime, the café is buzzing with life.
“It can be busy, but it's in a good way. There's a light and informal atmosphere that gives you energy in the middle of the workday.”
The opportunity to make your own mark
At NOVI, food is an important part of everyday life. Cheval Blanc Kantiner is responsible for both preparation and serving in NOVI's canteens, and Cheval Blanc also runs Caspers Café. It is through this collaboration that Diana is employed and today has her daily routine in the middle of NOVI.
Diana experiences the framework at NOVI as a place where quality and professionalism are given high priority.
“I love working for Cheval Blanc. They hired me because of my background and experience, and they are incredibly receptive to my ideas. I get to choose the best ingredients and stick to the quality. That trust means everything,” she says.
For her, it is crucial to have space to test and develop – something that there is rarely time for in a classic restaurant.
“At Caspers Café I have the space to try things out and make my own mark. It's really motivating.”
Something that can be tasted
For Diana, working at Caspers Café is ultimately about professional pride and love for the craft. Both for the ingredients and for the people who stop by every day. It's this approach that she brings into the kitchen when lunch is served in the middle of everyday life at NOVI.
“I hope you can feel the passion in the food,” she says. “And of course I hope that people will want to stop by and taste it.”
And that is precisely the core of Caspers Café at NOVI: a place where quality, presence and community meet even when the working day is in full swing.