■La Maison de la Bergeronnette GINZA: Interview with Chef Patissier Keiji Seki

"ACTS OF ARTISTRY - 1st SEASON" will be held on February 23rd. It is a special event where the world's best Panamanian Geisha , roasted and brewed by Yuya Kosakada , meets innovative sweets from Ginza. Ahead of the event, we spoke to Chef Seki Keiji of La Maison de la Bergeronnette GINZA, who is in charge of sweets, about the new relationship between coffee and sweets.

For more details about the event and to purchase tickets, please click here

-- What are your thoughts about this event?

I have high expectations for this collaboration between coffee and sweets with Kosakada -san of Raw Sugar Roast , a top-class roaster and barista. I think that a completely different value will be created when a pastry chef communicates the relationship between coffee and sweets alone, and when a coffee professional and a pastry chef communicate it together. I think this will be an opportunity to go a step further and express the true relationship and position that coffee and sweets should have.

-- What does Chef Seki think is the ideal relationship between coffee and sweets?

Many people tend to think of the relationship between coffee and sweets as a balance between sweet and bitter. If you eat something sweet, you want to reset your mouth with something bitter, or if you drink something bitter, you want something sweet. But that's not the case.

The relationship between real sweets and coffee, born from real ingredients and outstanding sensibility and technique. It's a new experience, like a Manabu reaction that occurs when ingredients meet.

We believe that sweets are merely an extension of the ingredients. That is why we want to offer a new experience that can be felt with all five senses: what changes will occur when they encounter high-quality coffee, what new expressions will become possible, and how will hidden potential be brought out?

"The Hanging Garden of the Cacao Kingdom" Chef Seki's signature chocolate banana parfait made with rare Amazonian cacao.

Can you tell us what led you to this way of thinking?

A big turning point came when I was in my late 20s. Until then, I had gained experience in a variety of fields, including patisseries, restaurants, weddings, and large restaurants, and I spent my days encountering new recipes.

However, at one point I started to focus more deeply on the ingredients themselves. In particular, when I reexamined ingredients from the perspective of organic and food safety, I felt that those ingredients had a strength and potential that could overturn my previous recipes.

My encounter with organic ingredients such as eggs, sugar, salt, water, raw vegetables, and fruit chewed with the skin on, rather than luxury ingredients like foie gras and caviar, completely changed my values.

From that point on, it may be an exaggeration to say that the recipes I had been using didn't work at all, but they just didn't make sense. It felt like the recipes I had been using up until then had come across something completely different. And as I changed, no matter how much I tried to tweak the recipes, the food only tasted like something I'd eaten before.

This is when we started to pursue the true essence of materials.

I also began to wonder why so many people use the same ingredients, the same sugar and salt.

Of course, the world also needs a mindset that emphasizes efficiency.

But what I want to convey now is that when things are made with really good ingredients and with a little extra effort put into them, and they are truly married together, whether it's a simple pudding or an ice cream, it tastes like something you've had before, but you've never tasted it before. That's the experience I want to provide, and that's my starting point.

-- What was your impression after tasting the Panama Geisha that is being offered this time?

What they all have in common is the delicacy that can only be achieved through the high quality of the beans and the roasting and brewing techniques. If even one part is missing, it will fall apart. That's why you have to be careful about the sweets that go with it, and even the way you use sugar. So that the sweets don't dominate in a bad way.

What was particularly impressive was not just the difference in flavor, but the quality of the sweetness and the strength of the flavor that persisted even when the temperature changed. It wasn't just a momentary impact, but a deep flavor that slowly seeped into my body.

── Specifically, what kind of sweets?

We are considering various approaches to suit the characteristics of each coffee. For example, we make sugar-free products using only natural sweetness. Or, we create new flavors in the mouth by clashing with elements that are Shin opposite of the surface flavor of coffee.

In particular, the first Esmeralda Special has an impressive taste that is impactful yet delicate. I felt that it had the characteristic of an exquisite blend of Japanese and Western elements. Therefore, we would like to propose a taste that exceeds the imagination while using ingredients that everyone is familiar with.

The second coffee from La Huelia has a different elegance to Esmeralda, so we're creating a dessert themed around its aroma. The third iced coffee from Altieri is characterized by its fruity, refined sweetness, and by deliberately combining it with Japanese ingredients, we aim to express a new sweetness.

The last one, from Abu Farm, had the flavor of cacao from the moment I tasted it. However, a simple cacao dessert would lose the delicate flavor of the coffee. Therefore, I would like to use sugar in a more delicate cacao dessert.

── Finally, please give a message to those who are looking forward to this event.

I think that coffee professionals have the opportunity to think about pairing it with sweets in the course of their work. There must be many people who feel that "it's not enough if it's sweet". However, there may be some people who feel frustrated that they can't find the ideal sweet.

Just as there are differences in quality in the world of coffee, the same can be said for the world of sweets. At this event, we hope you will enjoy a new experience that cannot be had with coffee alone, by encountering sweets. We hope that this experience will remain with you as a new memory.

ACTS OF ARTISTRY - 1st SEASON will be held at La Maison de la Bergeronnette GINZA on February 23, 2025. Reservations are being accepted through CROWD ROASTER app.