Pastry Master Sadaharu Aoki: Life Is About Eating Delicious Food

▲ Pastry Master Sadaharu Aoki believes that eating low-calorie food makes you unhappy.

Reported and photographed by Huang Shiyuan, Taipei

Do you often give up high-calorie delicacies for the sake of your weight? But Sadaharu Aoki, a world-class pastry master, believes that eating low-calorie food makes you unhappy. He thinks life is about enjoying good food and then exercising—this way, you can savor delicious meals happily while staying healthy.

Sadaharu Aoki (佐藤绫), once hailed as “Pastry Chef of the Year” by the “Pudlo Paris Dining Guide,” has released a new Chinese edition of his cookbook in Taiwan. He also specially came to Taiwan to unveil two new products: Matcha Saint-Honoré and Parisian Grapefruit. Starting April 11, they will be available exclusively at the two branches of Aoki Sadaharu Pastry Salon located in Bellavita BELLAVITA and Taipei Sheraton Grand Hotel.


▲ Matcha Saint-Honoré.


▲ Parisian Grapefruit.

The two desserts unveiled by Aoki on the 10th—Matcha Saint-Honoré and Parisian Grapefruit—are characterized by their Franco-Japanese DNA, blending flavors such as grapefruit, matcha, red beans, and classic French elements like mille-feuille, éclairs, and tart shells. Aoki also mentioned that Parisian patisserie trends now focus on evoking heartfelt nostalgia by revisiting the delightful textures and techniques from a century ago. The texture leans towards being rich and dense, a departure from the previous light and refreshing styles. Saint-Honoré possesses these distinctive qualities, and he believes it will soon become a trend in Taiwan.

Aoki is passionate about creating seemingly simple yet extraordinary things, and he continuously hones the foundational techniques of French patisserie. For him, every day is a new challenge—he’s always thinking about what new thing he can create. If he doesn’t achieve it today, he’ll try tomorrow; if he doesn’t manage it this year, he’ll do it next year.

Enabling more people to enjoy the joy of happiness has always been Aoki’s mission and commitment in making pastries. This original intention also led to the publication of the book World-Class Master Sadaharu Aoki: Macarons. Aoki believes that beyond selecting the finest premium ingredients, it's equally important to skillfully bring out the unique characteristics of those ingredients in pastry-making. This philosophy is just as vital as the ingredient selection itself, and all of these principles and commitments are reflected in the book.

▲ %Record the moment of happiness brought by the product.?