Tanel Lilleste & Kirss Toidul — From Complexity to Simplicity
- TEB Creative
- 16 hours ago
- 3 min read
When we began our work with Tanel Lilleste, the host behind the Estonian home restaurant Kirss Toidul, the conversation quickly moved beyond food. We spent time together exploring what felt most authentic to him at this stage of his journey, guided by his openness to try new approaches and our desire to capture his evolving philosophy. The focus wasn’t just on food; it was on a shift.
Tanel had spent years working as a professional chef, using complex approaches to cooking. Over time, that had changed. What he was interested in now was something simpler, more intuitive, more grounded in the moment. The film needed to reflect that change, not by explaining it directly, but by letting it come through the visuals.
From the outset, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a typical food video. The aim wasn’t to showcase dishes or build something overly polished. It was about capturing the experience behind the food - how it is done, where it comes from, and what it feels like to be part of it.
That thinking led to one of the key decisions early on: not filming in the home restaurant.
Instead, we moved the shoot to his summer house. This decision opened things up immediately. Ingredients came straight from the surroundings: potatoes lifted from the ground, rhubarb, and wild strawberries picked from the garden. Cooking happened outdoors on a BBQ, in a simple kitchen setup, and in a simple kitchen setup. It felt closer to the source, and closer to the way Tanel now approaches his work - less tied to a fixed location, more as a private chef who brings that experience with him.
That same approach carried through into the atmosphere of the shoot. Nothing was overly staged or separated from the moment - even small things, like him occasionally playing the steel drum while cooking, just became part of the flow rather than something we stopped to highlight.
The filming itself stayed light. We followed the process rather than directing it, letting things unfold without trying to shape every moment. Throughout the shoot, Tanel was not just present but actively involved, offering ideas about framing certain scenes or suggesting moments that felt meaningful to him. Alongside that, we recorded a separate 30-minute interview in which Tanel talked through his thinking and how his approach had evolved over the years.
That interview became the backbone of the film.
Rather than cutting to a traditional talking head, his voice runs over the images, guiding the viewer without interrupting the flow. It allowed the visuals to remain focused and uninterrupted while still conveying meaning.
This tone really came together in the edit.
We leaned into a slower pace, something calm and slightly meditative. The aim was to bring in a sense of summer. Not just through the visuals, but through the rhythm of the piece. Letting moments sit a bit longer, avoiding anything that felt rushed or overly constructed.
It became less about explaining and more about letting the viewer settle into the space.
What started to emerge wasn’t a story built around a single dish or moment, but something more subtle. A way of working. A way of thinking.
Less control, more trust.
Less complexity, more clarity.
In the end, the film sits somewhere between a portrait and a process. It shows what Tanel does, but more importantly, how and why he does it this way now.
If anything, the project was a reminder that not everything needs to be built up. Sometimes the work is in stripping things back and recognising what’s already there.
Comments