Our pastry shop is rated No.1 for several consecutive years
My customers told me that
They saw it on the biggest food review site in Japan
I never check these things myself
When I was in college, I couldn’t find any passion in the courses
It felt like a waste of my time, so I dropped out
And my girlfriend then loved bread
So I thought it would be great if I could bake for her everyday
That’s how I decided to become a baker
I worked in 5 or 6 different bakeries
And I had some part-time jobs in between
I actually was not sure what I was baking
Until later I got a chance to learn baking in France, I found people there would buy bread everyday
Then I realized
Bread is their staple
If I’m able to make delicious bread
Which could cheer up people in their bad times even so slightly
When they savor my bread
They may truly think, Oh this is good
Then my bread sort of becomes a pillar in their life
So I start to understand that I’m making something wonderful
The first shop is in my hometown
For the first whole year, we never sold out, not a day
Bread was my breakfast, lunch and dinner
After three years like that
The media got interested and they interviewed us
The shop was not right next to the station
But we started to have bread-loving bloggers coming
And more and more customers
It was the 11th year after opening the first shop
That we opened this one here in Kitashinchi, Osaka
“Welcome”
“Please line up by the coffee bar”
I arrive in the kitchen between 6 and 6:30 every morning
Prepare the oven and start baking
I work until 3 or 4 in the afternoon
I bake 1,500 breads daily
We also collaborate with restaurants
Everyday delivery is made to about 20 restaurants
There are three Michelin-starred restaurants among them
And a two Michelin-starred one in Tokyo
And a one Michelin-starred one as well
When I was back from France
I got to thinking if I can bake in a more natural way
So I use only wheat flour while mixing
When it’s about time, I knead it into a ball and put it on the work surface
And just let it rise
For a whole night
So the yeasts power the fermentation process slowly and thoroughly
I developed two kinds of yeast myself
To bump up the flavor
Then I bake them
As we work with many restaurants and chefs
I think about combinations of bread and other food a lot
For light food like salad, with olive oil or ham in it 56 这些口味清单的食物，适合和拖鞋面包搭配 Ciabatta is the best match
Cause we don’t want the flavor of the flour to stand out
However, to go with meat stew
Baguette or L'Ami Jean would be better
Now I’m also running a non-profit organization for the disabled
My oldest daughter suffers from severe congenital disabilities
I tried to blame someone for this, like “Why us”
But because of her
I started to see the world in the eyes of the disadvantaged
They are not free, and not understood
They need an interface with the world
Maybe food can be that interface
We have hearing-impaired employees working in our shop
It’s not easy to make people see the beauty of life
But if it is possible at all
Whatever amount of the time and energy spent is well worth it
When asked “What do you do for a living”
I hope I can say “I bake great bread”