Photographer Johnny Le portraits Japanese chef Natsuko Shoji at été, Tokyo

A conversation with Natsuko Shoji as she makes her prized Fleurs d’été mango tart rose cake

A rare glimpse into the delicate steps Japanese chef Natsuko Shoji takes to make her signature Fleurs d’été mango tart provided a precious and intimate photographic experience. The cake’s radiating floral fruit presentation vibrates from its black box. Crafted strictly by request, the cake maintains its exclusivity to retain an authentic one-on-one connection with its customer. From seed to vision to table, this singular cake and the broader culinary world she has built around it have earned her reverence spanning from her exclusive fine dining restaurant, été, situated in a ground-floor apartment in Tokyo’s Yoyogi Uehara, to the rest of the globe. The cake is the genesis of her entire practice. As she expresses, “It represents my origin, my starting point. Myself.”

Johnny Le
You have roots in Yoyogi Uehara. What are your earliest memories of growing up here and in Tokyo?

Natsuko Shoji
I grew up living with my younger sister, who has an intellectual disability, so my memory of home is that it was often messy and chaotic.

Johnny Le
Sitting inside été, the intentional lighting and curated furnishings create an incredibly intimate atmosphere. This is a striking contrast to the messy, chaotic energy of your childhood upbringing. Having established your restaurant in the very place that raised you, what does this neighborhood mean to you now?

Natsuko Shoji
It feels like home to me.

Johnny Le
Looking back, when did food transition into becoming your primary artistic language? Was there a specific moment or catalyst that encouraged you down this path?

Natsuko Shoji
When I was in junior high school, we made cream puffs in a home economics class. I found it fascinating, so I started making many of them at home and giving them to my friends.

They were very happy and told me that I should pursue this path. Later, when I created my mango tart, I think my perspective of pastry as an art form became much clearer.

Johnny Le
You treat your ingredients the way a painter treats a canvas, or a couturier applies finishing touches in an atelier. What is your personal process of design when creating in the fleeting, temporal world of culinary art?

Natsuko Shoji
Sometimes I draw inspiration from the worlds of fashion shows or jewelry and begin with the visual design.

Other times, when I travel abroad and collaborate with chefs, I create based on the local culture and the techniques of the chefs I work with.

Johnny Le
Your creations carry a reputation of exclusivity; acquiring your cake feels akin to collecting a rare photographic print or a fine art piece. What does exclusivity mean to you? Is it a way to protect the intimacy and integrity of your craft?

Natsuko Shoji
To me, exclusivity is something that protects the next generation and the small number of artisans who dedicate themselves to their craft.

Johnny Le
You are currently helming Japan’s first Blue Box Café by Tiffany & Co. in Ginza. As a chef and artist, what does it mean to you to interpret such an iconic visual heritage through food?

Natsuko Shoji
Although the materials we work with are different, I believe there is a deep connection between the jewelry artisans who support Tiffany and chefs like us. Both worlds are rooted in the beauty of hand craftsmanship. Yet in both fields, the number of people who carry on these skills is becoming increasingly limited. Today, the shortage of skilled professionals in the culinary industry has become a serious issue. I believe that meaningful reform is necessary. Japanese cuisine is admired around the world for its extraordinary level and cultural depth, yet the recognition and working conditions of culinary artisans have not always reflected that value. This led me to think about how we might elevate the position of chefs and craftspeople, perhaps by developing something similar to a Meister system, and by working with globally influential organizations to create real structural change. If such initiatives could take shape, they could help protect these crafts and ensure the prosperity of the next generation. For many years, I have pursued innovative actions with this vision in mind, and I often wondered whether it might one day be possible to collaborate with a company like LVMH, which stands at the pinnacle of the global luxury world. I am deeply grateful that this opportunity has now become reality. What began as an offer to oversee the café has evolved into something far greater—a project that carries a much larger vision for the future, far beyond simply supervising a café.

Johnny Le
You have charted an independent path on your own terms, redefining what a chef looks like for women and the industry at large. Through été and your ongoing work, what kind of blueprint do you hope to leave behind for the next generation of creatives and chefs?

Natsuko Shoji
I see the role of a chef as more than simply cooking. To me, a chef is a creator who expresses culture and aesthetics through food.

Cuisine is deeply connected to other creative fields such as fashion, art, and jewelry. Because of this, I believe chefs are not limited to the kitchen. They can move across different cultural disciplines and create new forms of value.

At the same time, the world of craftsmanship is facing a serious shortage of people who will carry these traditions forward. I feel it is also our responsibility to create an environment where the next generation of chefs and artisans can continue this work with pride.

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Photos and Text by Johnny Le