Some 50 kilometers southwest of Tallinn, Turba locals know that a pizza sign appearing on Jaama tänav on weekends means Karutoom's backyard oven is open for business.

The setup grew around a pizza oven he bought and installed near his sauna.

"It's a hobby," he said. "It's just a pizza place for my friends."

Karutoom works the oven with ease, picking fresh basil and arugula from his greenhouse while chatting with regulars and visitors from further away alike.

He admits he learned how to make pizza from YouTube. "And once you learn something, your mind really gets a break while you're making it," he added.

Before becoming a backyard pizza chef, Karutoom built not one but two careers. He played professional football for FC Norma Tallinn, winning the Estonian SSR championship and cup before later working as a referee and coach.

After retiring from sports, he studied history and started teaching. He is now nearing 30 years in the classroom, and his summertime pizza hobby helps him refuel ahead of the new school year.

Network of hungry fans

"Before you start making pizza, become a teacher first — then you'll be guaranteed to have customers," Karutoom quipped.

One such customer over the weekend was Kertu, a student at Laagri School who came to eat with her parents. She said Karutoom is a good teacher, and makes good pizza too.

Students showing up in their teacher's backyard to eat during summer break is a testament to the bond he has built with them, as is the smile prompted by phone orders from more familiar young voices.

"When you've been teaching for nearly 30 years, you end up getting to know a lot of people," he said. "When you've played football, you've got a whole team — almost a whole league's worth."

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