Frederic Cassel, a French patisserie and chocolatier run by Lazy Susan, held a new product launch event at the Roppongi International Conference Hall on October 2nd. Frederic Cassel is a chocolatier with a wide range of achievements, including receiving awards both domestically and internationally. He is a member of Relais Desserts, a confectionery company that brings together the world's most highly-rated confectioners, and in 2003, at the tender age of 36, he became its president. Based in Fontainebleau, a historic city surrounded by deep forests on the outskirts of Paris, he has two stores in Japan: the Hyatt Regency Kyoto and the Ginza Mitsukoshi. This year, he also opened a pop-up store at the Tokyu Department Store Shibuya Main Store. Frederic, who visited Japan for the launch event, personally introduced his new collection, spanning from Christmas to Valentine's Day. The Christmas collection featured seven items, including a vanilla-themed cake, in keeping with his reputation as a "vanilla master." The chocolate cake is garnished with raspberries, while the vanilla cake is mixed with strawberries. Both are decorated with white chocolate snowflakes. The popular "Mini Kouglof" (450 yen), a baked confectionery resembling a Christmas cake, is adorable this year with white and pink decorations. The New Year's Cake Collection features the traditional French "Galette des Rois," but the bright red "Lulu" is the face of the 2015 collection. It features a sensual combination of chocolate and raspberries, creating a new look and taste. Also, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Frédéric Cassel has unveiled two Valentine's Day collections under the theme "Heritage & Future," symbolizing his motto of preserving and passing on the good old things. The first collection, "Ballade à Fontainebleau" (8 pieces, 2,800 yen), is a chocolate that tells the story of Frédéric discovering fragrances while strolling through his beloved Fontainebleau. The box, inspired by an old train station poster, features a colorful assortment of chocolates decorated with garden designs.
The second collection is "Parfum de Sansho" (5 pieces, 2,400 yen), created by Frederick, inspired by the scent of Japanese "sansho" pepper. Impressed by the Wakayama-grown grape sansho pepper, which has a vivid citrus aroma thanks to the traditional stone-grounding method at Yamamoto Katsunosuke Shoten, founded in 1880, Frederick came up with the idea of a bonbon chocolate combining sansho and citrus. The result is a masterpiece beloved by both Japanese and French people, featuring the fruity aroma inherent to grape sansho. This collection also includes a limited edition (5 pieces, 5,000 yen) created in collaboration with Nousaku, a foundry manufacturer in Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture, celebrating its 98th anniversary. This set includes "Caprice," a 100% pure tin table accessory designed by the French studio Sylvie Amar Studio. It can be used in a variety of ways, such as placing chocolate bonbons on a cup.
"My love for nature, surrounded by greenery, led me to create a new 2015 collection with the theme of 'gardens.' This time, I placed emphasis on sacred earth. I created new products while cherishing the origins of the ingredients we use. You can't make good products unless you come across good things," says Frederic.
The Christmas collection will be available for a limited time during December, and some items will only be available for pre-order in-store. The New Year's collection will be available for a limited time from December 27th to January 12th of the following year, and the Valentine's Day collection is scheduled to go on sale in late January.
