Several entrepreneurs have been responsible for the operations over the years, and the restaurant served until 2010, being open only during seasons and by order. In 2010, year-round operation began with a change of ownership, and at that time, siblings Hannu Lappalainen and Raija Kalliomaa took over the responsibility for the company's operations and making it year-round. Marketing the restaurant, which had previously served only during seasons, as a year-round destination to customers was challenging at first. As determined custodians of Karelian culture, the entrepreneurial duo managed to get customers interested in the service offerings, and the restaurant did indeed become a popular dining and celebration venue for locals and tourists.
In 2016, due to the retirement of the then entrepreneurs, an ownership change occurred, and the current entrepreneur, Marjo Niiranen, stepped into the role of entrepreneur.
With the motto "Cherishing Karelian culture, with a youthful approach," the company was driven forward. From the very beginning, we invested in dishes prepared from scratch and high-quality raw ingredients. The youthful and committed approach of the staff and entrepreneur to work is evident in everything we do. Karelian hospitality and authenticity are everyday life in our company, and it is conveyed to customers both in everyday life and during celebrations.
We have found our place in the hearts of locals and tourists in a new way, and we greatly appreciate it. We want to keep our promises to customers and, whenever possible, exceed them. We wouldn't be here and now without you, our wonderful customers!
While researching the history of Parppeinvaara, I found Anna Jetson's master's thesis In Search of an Idea - Event Concept for Parppeinvaara, Ilomantsi, and there this thought caught my attention;
"Parppeinvaara has for all these years been a place dominated by women, and its spirit has largely been based on the hostess's own personality and skills in the poetry cottage. The hostesses, with their appearance and demeanor, have already met the expectations and perceptions of Karelianism among tourists. They themselves have been the personification of a Karelian woman and hostess for the tourist. Some of them were by birth border- or East Karelian. In this sense, the tradition has been broken. Current hostesses of the cottage are no longer necessarily Karelian. They may be North Karelian, or they may come perhaps from somewhere else entirely, and they no longer represent the same Karelianism as the East Karelian style buildings of Parppeinvaara. The Runonlaulaja's cottage and its hostess no longer exist exactly as they did in the early days."
Although Anna's thought concerned the hostess role of the poetry cottage, I began to think that perhaps, after all, the hostess-ship and management has returned to Parppeinvaara and Parppeinpirtti. As a girl from Tuupovaara, I feel that I am a modern Karelian hostess. And quite quickly I got the nickname Pirttihirmu, which describes my character very well ;)
Since childhood, I have learned handicrafts and the importance of diligence in life from my mother, my late grandmothers, and my father. I carry and cherish these skills with me, and I hope to pass them on to my own offspring.
I hope I can create memories and new stories with you for a long time to come...
Stories by: Marjo Niiranen alias Pirttihirmu <3
