Hey there, can you introduce yourself?

My name is Karolina Eleonóra and I'm a Swedish raw dessert chef. I'm 33 years old when writing and for the moment I live with my love Jakob and our two guinea pigs, Molly & Bubbles, in a turn of the century flat in the medieval town Västerås.

I've been working with raw desserts since 2007. I have no formal education in baking, my skills are obtained from trial and error, and a passion for mastering my craft, which I personally think is the best way to learn anything.

I also LOVE to shoot food. I use to say that I’m in the food porn biz. You know, chocolate sauce dripping down from that dreamy sundae that you just want to throw yourself at. That’s what I’m into.

I'm massively intrigued with super foods, not only by the science behind these amazing gifts of God, but the spirit in each and every one of them. When you have worked with super foods almost daily for over 7 years, you develop a deeper sense for them. You see the complexity in how you can use them, how they act in your body and how to combine them. It's a constant learning process that is very stimulating.

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Tell us a bit about the book?

I run a company called The Raw Dessert Kitchen, that aims to inspire gorgeous people like you to start making raw desserts, start using super foods or to keep doing it. I have my own raw / super food brand in Sweden and Scandinavia.

I make inspiring raw recipes of cakes, pies, tortes, cookies, ice creams, cupcakes, cheesecakes, chocolates, milkshakes, cobblers.. About anything sweet and raw really.

I used to have a food intolerance to nuts, so I have specialized in nut free raw desserts. My style is whimsical and I love to express my creativity with playfulness.

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What was the inspiration behind it?

I got the idea of this book one fall day right before lunchtime. Me and Jakob were out on one of our daily walks and as many times before, lunchtime is that time during the day when in absence of food, Jakob gets crankier and crankier (he get's low blood sugar).

I figured that this thing is so easily fixed! I only have to make sure Jakob has something to snack on when the energy dips and he gets cranky. And what could be better if I made some healthy treats, easy to carry in the pocket or shoulder bag? After all, I am a raw dessert chef so stocking the freezer with raw treats is no biggie to me. About two seconds later I had the whole eBook Snack Smarter rolled out in my head.

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Which is your favourite project?

In the appendix of the book I have a "Find Your Recipe Guide", and one section is called "Recommended By The Chef", and there you'll find recipes like:

Take It To The Next Level Doughnut Balls
I Don’t Know Salty Caramella Squares
Love U Right Back Carob + Coco Squares
It’s A Dessert Revolution Peanut Bars
TRDK’s Awesome Chocolate
Drop Your Ambitions Banana-Honey-Cinnamon Cookies
I AM Undefined Licorice + Mint Moist Macaroons
Flamboyant Saffron + Caramel Moist Macaroons
Goal-Reacher Pinaplpe + Licorice + Pistage Leather

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What is your craft space like?

I have a cute little kitchen with pale blue color on the walls that I accent with mint green details.

I have a table where I keep my Vitamix blender and my Cusinart Food processor, a pretty etno engraved metall box that is my super food stash (it is very inspiring to see my own products in my working area). When I bake I put the ingredients I need in a fair trade pink low round basket to get more organized.

I also have a window at my table. Under the table I have a smaller fridge to keep sensitive super foods and raw cakes and pies.

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Have you always been creative?

Always. Manic creative child, and probably worse now!

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When did you first start crafting?

I made cooked desserts as a 10 yr old every day after school. When my parents came home there were a sponge cake in the kitchen waiting for them, cookies, a swiss roll or other pastries. It got to the point where my mom said that it's good that I bake, but perhaps not every day... They where overwhelmed by my neverending need to produce!

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Who are your crafty heroes?

I admire raw chef Matthew Kenney's dedication for the craft a lot.

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Where do you find inspiration?

Anywhere I find other creative peoples work that matches my own style, often in other craft areas. I sometimes go back to the first things I created when I was more naive and less ambitious and there I find that original spark I had.

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What's next for you?

I'm working on a live eCourse for the moment and the next eBook! I was working on the next ebook before I launched Snack Smarter actually, I LOVE the making of digital products!