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Japanese chef Natsuko Shoji of Été in Tokyo is the 2020 winner of the Asia’s Best Pastry Chef Award, sponsored by Valrhona. Chef Shoji will be honoured as part of the eighth annual Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards. As a result of current travel restrictions in Asia, this year’s event takes the form of a virtual awards ceremony, streaming on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Facebook page and YouTube channel, starting at 4pm (HK/SG; 5pm JPN) on Tuesday, 24th March.

Drawing inspiration from fashion houses and designer handbags, Chef Shoji has developed a line of signature cakes, each one containing Japan’s prized fruit and presented in a black box designed to resemble a jewellery box. At her exclusive six-seat restaurant in Shibuya, the chef prepares unique omakase menus and crafts eye-catching pastries in her new cake lab.

William Drew, Director of Content at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, said: “Natsuko Shoji’s fashion-inspired, elegant creations reveal her perfectionism, attention to detail and creative vision. With her appreciation for seasonality and reputation for uncompromising quality, the chef’s sculpted, fruit-topped cakes embody the artistry of Japanese cuisine.”

Chef Shoji follows in the footsteps of celebrated pastry chefs from all of Asia who have previously earned the accolade, including Fabrizio Fiorani (2019), Nicolas Lambert (2018), Kazutoshi Narita (2017), Cheryl Koh (2016), Hidemi Sugino (2015) and Janice Wong (2014 and 2013).