Wagashi: Little Bites of Japanese Delights

Book excerpt: Chef Yamashita Masataka was trained in Tsuji Culinary Institute, a well-known and respected culinary institute in Osaka, Japan. He worked at various pâtisseries around Japan for 10 years before starting his own pâtisserie in Nara, which quickly became one of the top pâtisseries there. Eight years later, yearning for new challenges and a change of scenery, chef Yamashita moved to Singapore where he took charge of the kitchen at Pâtisserie Glacé, turning it into a haven for delightful cakes and pastries. Chef Yamashita soon saw an opportunity to revive his pâtisserie from Japan and re-established Flor Pâtisserie at Duxton Hill, Singapore. Today, chef Yamashita no longer runs Flor, but his own Japanese artisan pâtisserie at Tangjong Pagar Plaza, aptly named Chef Yamashita. This is chef Yamashita’s second cookbook. His first cookbook, Tanoshii, clinched the Best First Cookbook award at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2013 and is a bestseller