Located in the suburban area of Sanda City, Hyogo Prefecture, Patissier S. Koyama is a renowned shop that attracts both locals and customers from far and wide. Owner and pastry chef Susumu Koyama made his name with the "Koyama Roll," which sparked the roll cake boom. However, Koyama's creativity has not stagnated; it continues to advance.

Koyama's current passion is chocolate. In 2011, at his first appearance at the annual Salon du Chocolat in Paris, he achieved the remarkable feat of winning both the top prize of 5 tablets and the Best Chocolatier Award in the Foreign Category at the competition organized by C.C.C., France's most prestigious chocolate enthusiasts' club. Since then, he has continued to win top prizes for five consecutive years. He has also won the Grand Prize three times, making him one of Japan's leading chocolatiers in both name and reality. What are the roots of his bubbling creativity? We spoke to Koyama.

■The three most important things are the ability to cut, the ability to express and communicate, and technical ability

At Escoyama's chocolate shop, Rozilla, there is an array of delicate and beautiful chocolates, like jewels, created by Koyama. There are chocolates that allow you to fully enjoy the characteristics of cacao personally imported from all over the world, chocolates made with two layers that create an unexpected marriage in the mouth with a seemingly unexpected combination of ingredients, and even items with names that make it difficult to immediately imagine what they will taste like, such as "NINJA," "Genesis," and "YABAI." Where does the inspiration for the works of chocolatier Koyama Susumu, who is referred to as the "alchemist of taste" in the "C.C.C." guidebook, come from? "I get inspiration naturally in the course of my daily life. For example, a note I get while jogging that says, 'What a lovely floral scent,' or a Hyuganatsu orange that I happen to have in my hands, or butterbur sprouts I eat at a restaurant in Kyoto. The moment I think, 'This would be interesting if I combined it with that cacao,' the image of the flavor is already formed in my head. All that's left is to experiment with the combination and express it."

To create something overflowing with creativity, Koyama says, it is only possible to achieve it by combining the ability to "pick out" something interesting from everyday life, the ability to "express and communicate" it, and the technical ability to realize it. He says these three abilities are essential for any job.

■ Encounter with Cacao

Winning the C.C.C. award in 2011 was one of the reasons Koyama began to seriously consider cacao. Even within the same region, cacao's flavor can change dramatically depending on the harvest time, fermentation, and drying methods. Many chocolatiers are captivated by its charm. "I have to get serious," Koyama thought. The following year, he embarked on a journey to various cacao-producing regions, including Madagascar, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Colombia, to see the cacao for himself, interact with the local people, and learn more about the cacao. "There are people around the world who can tell the taste of chocolate just by eating a fresh cacao seed, so-called 'couverturiers.' I hope to one day enter that realm. You can make chocolate even without that level of knowledge. But I believe that the desire and action that arises when you discover the 'ultimate,' and the desire to reach that point, will lead to the creation of even better things." Escoyama currently has approximately 90 varieties of couverture (chocolate raw material). Over the past two years, Koyama says he has shifted from creating chocolates that are "ingredients-first," combining cacao with ingredients that appeal to him, to "cacao-first," matching ingredients that perfectly match the unique characteristics of the cacao.

■The story of the Arhuaco people's cacao

In the summer of 2015, Koyama visited a cacao-producing region in Colombia. This was his second visit, following his first in 2014. One of his goals was to deliver bonbons made with "Aruhuaco 72%" couverture, made from the cacao grown by the Arhuaco people, who live a traditional self-sufficient lifestyle at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. "Maybe they thought I was a weird guy, coming two years in a row (laughs), but this time I got to meet the top healer. There, for the first time, I heard the tragic story of how the Arhuaco people were forced to abandon their precious cacao forests and flee deep into the Sierra Nevada mountains due to the Spanish invasion in the 16th century. Their extinct cacao culture has been revived in modern times by their descendants, and that cacao is now being supplied to me. Don't you think that's amazing? I was reminded of the importance of using this cacao wisely, and I felt a mission to share this story, so I began writing it." Koyama wrote an adventure fantasy titled "THE LOST TREASURE ~The Lost Treasure of Arhuaco~," which musician Chikuzen Sato turned into an epic song over 10 minutes long, which was included on a Christmas album. Koyama was also captivated by Akihiro Nishino of "King Kong," whose expressiveness inspired him to create illustrations for the adventure story, which is scheduled to be published as a picture book in March. Thanks to Koyama's strong desire to "share the story," the story of the Arhuaco people's cacao is being passed on to people.

■Energy that cannot be contained in a frame

"I've had the personality to speak my mind about everything since I was a child," says Koyama with a laugh. What kind of child was he as a boy who hates being swayed by things that are not right?

"It's the same now (laughs). When I lived in Kyoto, I often played in the back alleys, and during my summer holidays, I spent a month catching bugs and climbing trees in the countryside where my mother lives in Hyogo Prefecture. I loved insects, and even back then I found the shapes of stag beetles and rhinoceros beetles fascinating. I thought their patterns were like embossing and their shine was cool. I also loved drawing. One piece of paper wasn't enough, so I would spill over onto the wall, so my mother would string together several sheets of construction paper and let me draw. But even that wasn't enough, so I would draw on the wall. But my mother never stopped me, and at the end she would just say, 'Erase it!' (laughs). She saw through my strong desire to 'express', and I think she encouraged me to express myself freely rather than just trying to fit my work into a frame."

When Koyama grew up, he set up his own shop in Sanda City, Hyogo Prefecture. The sky was blue as far as the eye could see. Spread across a vast site, Patissier S. Koyama transcends the typical "cake shop" image we imagine. Step inside the cave-like chocolate shop and you'll find undulating plaster walls, and a garden that changes appearance with the seasons, featuring rhinoceros beetles and candy fairies. The patisserie, reminiscent of a futuristic candy factory, is a wonderland only accessible to children. "Wouldn't it be interesting if that became children's original image of a 'cake shop'?" says Koyama, his face filled with delight.

■ "Concrete goals" rather than "dreams"

When asked about his goals for the future, he immediately replied, "I want to leave something behind." In fact, in recent years, Koyama has been accepting as many lectures as possible, from kindergarten to university, proactively creating opportunities to speak with a wide variety of children and young people.

"We won't be talking about cake (laughs). This is a class where the children share things they found fun. I call on students to come to the front and ask, 'Did anything fun happen yesterday?' Presenting, communicating, and having everyone listen. Even children who aren't good at talking will talk more and more if you guide them properly. When they finish and the audience applauds, it makes them feel even better and they become better at speaking and communicating. The ability to communicate is a necessary skill for any profession. Also, for example, chocolate melts at body temperature, which can cause incredibly fun things to happen in your mouth. If children are inspired by this and think, 'Wow, I didn't know you could do this!', it might inspire some of them to try to create even more amazing chemical reactions, regardless of the genre. That's what I'm thinking.

I also want to convey the importance of 'finding something you love and digging deep into it,' and 'having concrete goals to get closer to it, rather than just dreams.' Saying you have a dream sounds great, but when it comes to knowing what to do about it, it's a very vague concept, isn't it? It is far more meaningful to have a concrete "goal" and actually achieve something today. That's why I tell people to "have goals, not dreams." The kids who listen to me with shining eyes at school are usually treated as "problem children" by their teachers. From my perspective, they are "kids who step outside the box, but have something outstanding." Just like the unknown cacao I encounter on a cacao hunt. I believe it is important to harness the charm of each and every bean and guide them.

Various chemical reactions occur when energy that cannot be contained within a box is allowed to escape. This DNA is sure to reach many people, not just in the world of cakes and chocolate.


[Profile]
Susumu Koyama Born in Kyoto in 1964. After graduating from a culinary school in Osaka, he joined a Western-style pastry shop in Kobe. He held various positions, including pastry chef at the main store and head of product development, before going independent. In 2003, he opened "Pâtissier S. Koyama" in Sanda City, Hyogo Prefecture. His "Koyama Roll" sold 1,600 rolls a day in stores alone, sparking a roll cake boom. He jogs daily. His curiosity, which led him to aspire to various professions, from musician and graphic designer to ceramic artist, has also led him to fashion, and he has recently become fond of Balmain pants. He says he loves the haute couture-like fit.