Sho Kimura: “My vision of pastry has completely changed since I came to France”

That French pâtisserie captivates millions of citizens not born in France is a fact. That a multitude of young people decide to move to France to learn all about the trade is also a fact. And that among these young people there is a majority of Japanese is also undisputed. That veneration took hold of Sho Kimura, born in Aomori, northern Japan, whose father, also a pastry chef, encouraged him to cross half the world to fulfill his dream when he was 20 years old, something he finally did at 27.

Funnily enough, Kimura, one of the protagonists of so good.. magazine 31, did not go to any culinary school. He has been trained by working intensely and trying and trying again, which has allowed him to become pastry chef at Les Trois Chocolats in Paris, where he fuses French and Japanese ingredients to build his own haute pâtisserie, both in terms of taste and aesthetics.

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What aspects of Japanese culture and pastry have influenced you most as a pastry chef?

They have influenced me, of course, because I have been eating them since I was a child. I know the potential of Japanese ingredients very well, and that helps me to use them in pastry. I decide the composition, taste and design of my creations in a natural way. I try as much as possible to create simple and beautiful cakes; the influences of Japanese culture are sometimes unconscious.

Why did you decide to travel to France? What attracted you to French pâtisserie?

I worked 10 years in Japan and I wanted to know what French pastry was like. Of course, there is French pâtisserie in Japan, but it is very often ‘traditional’, and I wanted to discover a more avant-garde pâtisserie. When I was in Japan, I often saw on Instagram the creations of great pastry chefs who were more modern and artistic, which I did not find in Japan.

It was my father (also a pastry chef) who advised me to go to France when I was 20 years old. At the time, I thought it was reserved for an elite, because no one around me had ever been to France. So I thought it wasn’t for me, but those words stuck with me and, as I went along, I started dreaming of going to France. I finally made it at the age of 27, in 2017.

Which professionals have most influenced your professional career?

Jean François Foucher, who was my chef in Cherbourg. He was very free in his creations and I learned a lot from him. In Japan, I had learned a very ‘square-minded’, restricted technique. I can say that he shattered my ideas about pastry. My vision of pastry has completely changed since I came to France. I started to see all the freedom that pastry offered.

What have these experiences brought to your vision of pâtisserie and chocolaterie?

At the restaurant, I had to create something new every week. It was my first time working as a pastry chef. It was very stressful, but that is when I started looking for my style the most, even though I was never convinced of what I was doing at the time. At first, I combined the techniques of several different chefs and pastry chefs, then worked to find my own, little by little. I was also in charge of preparing and assembling the dishes. I also learned a lot about how people work in the kitchen in France.

How would you define your approach to pastry? How would you define your style?

I would say self-taught. I didn’t have a very special training, and I trained a lot on my own, just being inspired by what I tasted and saw at different times in my life.

When you come up with a new product, what are the stages of the creative process?

First I think about the main ingredient of the cake, then the texture I want it to have. Then I think about the elements I need to make it (sablé, crème pâtissière, etc.), followed by the design and decorations. Then I make several versions of the same cake and choose the one I like best. Sometimes I tinker with my creations for several months or several years (2, 3 years) because I change the design, the flavor or the composition as I go along until I am satisfied.

Discover these recipes from Sho Kimura in so good.. magazine 31