Celebrity Life

The first time I tasted one of Chef Natsuko Shoji's sweet creations, it was at an all female chefs collaboration hosted by Chef Vicky Lau of Tate Dining Room in Hong Kong.

Not only did it celebrate the power of female chefs in Asia, but it also showcased exceptional culinary talent in one impressive luncheon. The dessert served was Chef Shoji's Miyazaki mango rose atop diplomat cream and sablé; a rich, luscious yet beautifully bright and refreshing confection that has remained in my dessert dreams to this day. And if you have yet to come across her fashion-inspired and fruit-topped work at her Tokyo-based restaurant Été, you are likely to now, since she's been crowned the 2020 winner of Asia’s Best Pastry Chef Award -- an award presented by Asia's Best 50 Restaurants and sponsored by Valrhona.

What's behind the name Été [the French word for summer]?

My name, Natsuko Shoji, means “summer child”. I wanted my business to be successful and [I named it Été] so that customers can know and remember my name easily. I worked at French restaurants and my cuisine is French.

[caption id="attachment_199726" align="alignnone" width="887"] Natsuko Shoji of Été[/caption]

How would you describe your style of pastry and dessert?

Fashion-inspired. You can see my perfectionism, obsession with detail and creative vision in my work. Thanks to the different seasons, I am also able to stick to uncompromising quality, and create figuratively-shaped fruit cakes that embody the artistic qualities of Japanese cuisine.

Why are they inspired by fashion? And do you draw your inspiration from other areas?

My mom has always loved fashion, and that had an influence on me. I love fashion too, that is how Été’s cakes were born. I would say that art has inspired me as well. Artists like Takashi Murakami for example. I remember when I was in junior high, I was so shocked to see his artwork with Louis Vuitton in the shop window. I wished I could work together with him someday. After opening Été, this was one of my goals and I recently had the privilege to collaborate with him in creating a special mango cake and a box of chocolates.

[caption id="attachment_199723" align="alignnone" width="823"] Chef Natsuko Shoji's collaboration with artist Takashi Murakami[/caption]

Will you be collaborating with any other brands or artists?

I would love to work with Tomo Koizumi, a Japanese dress/costume designer. I am a big fan of his work -- it's all so stunning and colourful.

When did your passion for pastries come about?

When I was in junior high school, I made cream puffs in home economics class. I thought the way the dough swelled was very interesting, so I made a lot of them at home to give to my friends. They were very excited about it.

Who has been your biggest influence?

Chef Hiroyasu Kawate of Florilége.

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What was it like working with Chef Hiroyasu Kawate?

Kawate-san taught me to keep in mind that the guests are top priority -- no matter what it takes. The guests deserve the perfect experience every single time. Every day, I appreciate his training more and more, especially as I have my own restaurant now. His training has really helped me. Not just as a pastry chef, but as a chef in general, because I put my heart and soul in my cuisine, just as much as my cakes. It has made me realise the importance of putting guests first, no matter the circumstance.

Do you have a favourite dessert?

Tarts, chocolate, and cheesecake paired with vintage champagne and wines.

What  is your favourite ingredient to use?

Mangoes.

[caption id="attachment_199734" align="alignnone" width="867"] Chef Natsuko Shoji's signature dessert is the mango rose cake which uses seasonal Miyazaki mango atop diplomat cream and a sablé biscuit base[/caption]

What does Asia's Best Pastry Chef Award mean to you?

I’m very glad to have been acknowledged and to have my work recognised. Not only in Japan, but throughout Asia -- especially as a female chef.

Do you think the award will help to shine a light on female chefs too?

Throughout my career as a chef, I often get asked about how I feel about being a female chef in a male dominated industry by many of my peers. Many people think that this kind of job is only fit for men because it’s not easy, it’s challenging, it’s physically gruelling, and women are supposed to just stay home and do housework. This is the perception that I want to change. I believe that as long as you put your heart and soul into what you do, no matter how difficult it is, it can be achieved and it can bring a high level of fulfilment. I have loved every single bit of being a female chef and it will be my biggest achievement to have been perceived as an equal to those great male chefs in the industry.

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Any plans to expand in the near future?

Not at the moment. It would be really difficult to keep the quality that I have at Été now, if I were to expand. I want to keep perfecting what I have and do it better each day. There is only one of Natsuko Shoji, and I cannot be at many places at once!

When can we get a taste of your cakes in Hong Kong?

I love Hong Kong. Hopefully as soon as possible.

The post Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2020 Natsuko Shoji of Été on Cakes and Equality in the Kitchen appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

It's not every day that you get to enjoy desserts created by Asia's Best Pastry Chef. So when esteemed pastry chef Fabrizio Fiorani flew in for a special masterclass that would see him serving up his signature pastries, we jumped at the opportunity to have a taste of his sweet creations.

Held at Hong Kong's own Italian trattoria CIAK – In the Kitchen, the masterclass was sponsored by Acqua Panna and Valrhona. During the class, Fiorani demonstrated not only his unique creativity in patisserie, but also the Italians' signature warm nature. Visually striking and spectacular to taste, his desserts came first before we sat down to find out what he's been up to since winning the prestigious title and leaving Il Ristorante Luca Fantin at Bulgari Hotel in Japan.

What have you been up to since leaving Japan?

I’m back in Rome. I’m sleeping [and I’m based] there for a few days a week as I’m always travelling and consulting, doing masterclasses and special collaborations. Even in the last 20 days or so, I’ve been in Japan for one week, Singapore for one week and now one week here in Hong Kong. So I’m travelling here and there, but I go back to sleep in Rome.

How would you personally describe your pastry style?

It’s Italian. The flavour is pure Italian. But the style is my own -- Fabrizio Fiorani style.

[caption id="attachment_154272" align="alignnone" width="1613"] Tiramisu Glasses: the coffee-flavoured glasses (or biscuits) perch on a red plastic nose and come with mascarpone cream covered with a delicate layer of chocolate.[/caption]

You’ve worked at some of the world’s most renowned Michelin-starred restaurants. But was there a restaurant that left a long-lasting impression on you?

All of them gave and left me with something. Technique, human power, everything. I won the title [Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2019] at Il Ristorante Luca Fantin. I became the best when I was there, so that will stay with me. But my team was, and still is, my best memory of the five years I spent in Japan.

Who has been your biggest influence?

My parents. They taught me how to eat good food. And if you want to cook good food, you need to eat good food. This is very important -- they taught me this. For pastry, my biggest influence… Pierre Hermé. When you enter the boutique, I’m always speechless. Everything is just wow.

Do you have a favourite dessert?

Of course, it’s the tiramisu [glasses]. As for anyone else’s… Pierre Hermé makes this dessert [the Tarte Infiniment Vanille] with different kinds of vanilla [from Madagascar, Mexico, and Tahiti]. It’s unbelievable and one of the best things that I’ve eaten in my life. Another is a very beautiful cake make by Japanese pastry chef [Norihiko] Terai [of Aigre Douce in Tokyo]. Terai-san’s vanilla cake is crazy too, it’s so pure!

I heard you started working in a gelato shop at 14 years old. Is that where your love for pastry started?

Gelato is the entry level of pastry. You start to touch [and use] ingredients like egg yolk, cream and chocolate. Then after the gelato, you’ll want some cookies and biscuits. So this was my way in. That’s where it all started, with gelato.

[caption id="attachment_154271" align="alignnone" width="4928"] Raspberry Splash: Fiorani uses a magnetic stencil to paint a raspberry image on a white chocolate disc, which conceals a triple layer of raspberry confections.[/caption]

What are your favourite ingredients to use?

You know, I don’t do anything for fashion or for Instagram. I don’t like kiwi, so I never make anything with kiwi. I rarely drink alcohol, so I only use a small quantity of alcohol. A little gin with chocolate maybe. But I make desserts as if I was the customer. I only create what I love myself. If I don’t like it, I wouldn’t give it to my customers.
I love using chocolate. It’s dangerous to leave chocolate with me [he points to the chocolate wrappers he’s left on the table]. I love milk chocolate. For example, for the tiramisu glasses, I use this chocolate, [Valhorna’s] Bahibe Lactée, from Santo Domingo, with high cocoa content at 46%. Milk chocolate with a touch of bitterness is just unbelievable -- it balances everything.

Some of your creations have been described as ‘humorous’. Do you agree and if so, why do you do that?

With a smile, you release the tension of the mind. Take the tiramisu glasses [for example], you take a selfie and all your attention is on the dessert. It’s not on your phone or your drink, or your previous main course, it’s all on the dessert. I want people to smile and have fun with my desserts. We need to give happiness, not sadness, to the people. That’s my job. I cannot save the world with dessert, but I can give 20 minutes of happiness to the people.

Is that why you decided to be a pastry chef?

Yes. Ask me to make pasta with tomato. I cannot, I’m not able to do it. Dessert is my thing.

[caption id="attachment_154273" align="alignnone" width="1433"] Fiorani’s vision and technique earned him the title of Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2019.[/caption]

Do you think you really are Asia’s best pastry chef?

My first fan is me. But every night before I go to bed, I always ask [myself], “Can you can do it? Maybe yes, maybe no?” But that’s OK, it’s important to feel uncomfortable. If you feel comfortable, like on this chair I’m sitting on, you cannot make nice things. You need to be uncomfortable to create. Think about a lobster, it can grow for infinity. Why? Because every time it grows, it will change its shell and grow again. It’s not comfortable to stay in the same shell. So in order to grow, you need to be uncomfortable.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Pastry is important in my life, but it’s not everything. There are movies, shows, books and people. There are a lot of things I take inspiration from. Food is a small part of it. But there are so many places to find it. For example, the glasses [for the tiramisu] were made for Massimo [Bottura, the celebrated Italian chef of the three-Michelin-sttared Osteria Francescana]. I was inspired by him and created that.

Have you tried any Chinese desserts while you’ve been in Hong Kong?

I had dinner at China Tang and the duck was unbelievable. But for dessert we had the mango and pomelo sago, which was lovely. Maybe one day I will do something that incorporates these flavours; I can do this with mango and tapioca, why not!

The post Fabrizio Fiorani, Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2019, Tells Us About Chocolate, Cake and Lobsters, Too appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.