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Dinara Kasko
Have Your Cake and Tweet It Too
There are pastry chefs, and then there’s Dinara Kasko—a woman who doesn’t just bake cakes but sculpts them, bending mousse and ganache into hypnotic geometric forms that feel more at home in an art gallery than a bakery display. She's been named one of the top entrepreneurial creatives on the 50 Best Restaurants list, with her creations served in patisseries from Qatar to California.
But Kasko’s journey has been anything but conventional. Originally trained as an architect, she seamlessly translated her understanding of form and structure into the ephemeral beauty of pastry, creating silicone molds that turn cakes into intricate, almost otherworldly designs. They are mesmerizing in their complexity, precision, and – as she discovered 10 years ago – are perfectly instagrammable. Social media became her stage, and like any artist navigating the pleasures and sorrows of algorithm-induced fame, she has embraced both the opportunities and the challenges of a livelihood and a life lived largely online.
Like many other guests of At Large, Dinara has made a living out of her exceptional creative abilities. However, unlike anyone else we've talked to, Dinara hails from Kharkiv, a region in Eastern Ukraine invaded by Russia in 2022, which remains under attack to this day. That year, she was forced to flee her beloved home city, leaving her pastry studio behind. She sought the refuge of a better life in Southern California with her young family of four. Here in America, she continues to build her business, refine her craft, and explore new outlets for expression and emotion at dance music festivals.
On At Large, Kasko shares her remarkable journey of resilience, reinvention, and creativity in exile—along with a recipe for kefir pancakes that, like the chef herself, is equal parts tradition and transformation.
Listen : Spotify | Apple | YouTube
Show Index
- 00:00 - Introduction to Dinara Kasko
02:02 - Dinara Discusses Leaving Kharkiv
11:40 - Dinara Decides to Move to the U.S.
15:22 - Dinara’s First Moment of Instagram Fame
22:45 - Dinara’s Advice for Navigating The Online World
30:30 - Dinara Discovers Dance Festivals
35:00 - How Hobbies Balance Craft
38:33 - Dinara Showcases Some Artistic Molds
Show Notes
Sauce Boss Meets Girlboss
Movies by Any Means Necessary
Have Your Cake and Tweet It Too
Greens to Greatness
Writing Your Way Ahead
Liberté, Intégrité, Simplicité
Peace, Love, and Advertising
The Unprofessional Professional
Idea Virus Patient Zero
Chasing Liquid Gold
Making MSCHF
Internet Funnyman
Building a Digital Hearth
No Mud, No Lotus
You Can’t Just Switch It Off
Purpose & Play
Creative Courage and Talking Stuffed Animals
Silencing the Discursive Mind
Striking Internet Gold
Givers Are Getters
Hosting a Rave for the Intellect
The Hunt for Big Ideas
Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal
Not investment advice. Read important disclosures.