If you’re thinking about introducing creamy, light, and freshly made soft serve ice cream, check out the ideas from these seven top chefs in our ice cream magazines AH (in Spanish) and so cool.. magazine (in English)!

Martín Lippo goes dairy-free

Martín Lippo (Vakuum, Barcelona) has conducted research to find out how to give soft serve ice cream more personality and flavor. The result is ice cream that is lower in fat, with less sugar, and with formulas similar to a sorbet, without fat or dairy solids.

Among all their offerings, we highlight their versatile Soft Tropical, which can be combined with countless flavors and elements in a restaurant dessert or with toppings in an ice cream shop.

Discover the recipe in AH 201

Talia Profet applies a haute cuisine formula with a smoky touc

One way to achieve an unusual soft serve ice cream, more akin to a restaurant dessert, is by applying a classic haute cuisine formula: bitterness (intense dark cocoa) + smoke (smoked oolong tea) + freshness (a final touch of candied kumquat).

This is how Talia Profet, pastry chef and technician at OFI (Olam Food Ingredients), the group that owns the renowned deZaan brand of cocoa powder, does it in this Smoked Oolong and Cocoa Soft Serve Ice Cream, which graces the cover of so cool.. magazine 3.

Discover the recipe in so cool.. magazine 3

Tiago Barbosa and Julia Canu recreate a luxury bonbon

At Fresco (Lyon, France), the couple Tiago Barbosa and Julia Canu use soft serve ice cream as a base to recreate a popular brand’s luxury bonbon: toasted hazelnut soft serve, crunchy praline, melting gianduia, and a light vanilla cloud, all in a single spoonful.

Discover the recipe in AH 190

Rocambolesc offers groundbreaking toppings

At Rocambolesc (Girona), Jordi Roca and Alejandra Rivas explore the more informal and fun side of ice cream, combining it with groundbreaking toppings.

A good example is this seasonal strawberry sorbet, which at first glance a child would order, but to which they add unusual flavor touches like hibiscus, which naturally enhances the red color of the strawberry, and cinnamon, which acts as a base note that rounds out the final flavor.

Discover the recipe in so cool.. magazine 1

Marc Piqué takes it to the realm of frozen cocktails

Marc Piqué (Cal Sisquet, Roda de Berá, Tarragona) demonstrates that it is possible to create a soft-serve cocktail ice cream with a firm and creamy swirl. In this piña colada, maltodextrin, inulin, and the combination of sugars compensate for the destabilizing effect of the Malibu liqueur and maintain the characteristic texture of soft-serve ice cream.

Discover the recipe in AH 191

Dej Kewkacha embraces Japanese flavors in parfait form

The chef Dej Kewkacha, who, along with his brother Litti, runs a veritable artisanal empire in Thailand, has recently opened Parfait Parlor. This establishment draws inspiration from the Japanese parfait, served in layers in a tall glass like an ice cream cone, but each layer is meticulously designed to be enjoyed from top to bottom.

Among their offerings is the Parfait Matcha Deluxe, inspired by traditional Japanese wagashi sweets, combining classic Kyoto flavors with a modern aesthetic. Matcha is one of the stars of this creation, appearing in five different forms: soft serve ice cream, chocolate nama, granita, feuilletine, and kanten.

Discover the recipe in so cool.. magazine 2

Éric Ortuño serves it in a croissant cone

Éric Ortuño, co-founder of l’Atelier Barcelona, ​​proves once again that he is a visionary by presenting a hybrid creation that combines a croissant, a dessert, and an ice cream. The combination of artisanal pastry and soft serve ice cream is one of the strongest current trends in the sector.

The cone is made of laminated pastry, which allows for a crispy finish and a buttery flavor. It is filled with soft serve ice cream flavored with Reus (best tea pastry in Spain 2000).

Discover the recipe in AH 222

If you’re interested in soft serve ice cream, we recommend our artisan ice cream recipe book.

Thanks for reading! At so cool.. magazine you’ll find more content related to the world of ice cream. Follow us at @socool.mag to discover much more.

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What are the current challenges facing professional cooking and pastry?

The sector is undergoing a profound transformation. Chefs and pastry chefs must simultaneously respond to economic pressures, sustainability concerns, evolving consumer expectations, and significant changes in the job market. One of the main challenges is maintaining excellence and craftsmanship while adapting to new realities: seasonality, supply constraints, waste reduction, energy costs, and changing lifestyles. At the same time, younger generations are seeking greater meaning, balance, and purpose in their professional lives, prompting the sector to rethink certain entrenched practices. Therefore, the challenge is not only technical or operational, but also cultural and human.

Do these professions represent promising career paths for young people? What are the main job opportunities?

Undoubtedly. Gastronomy and pastry remain incredibly dynamic sectors, with high international mobility and a wide variety of career paths. While many graduates choose to work in restaurants, hotels, or luxury hospitality groups, current opportunities extend far beyond traditional cooking. 

Entrepreneurship, consulting, product development, food styling, catering, content creation, food events, sustainable sourcing, and training are expanding fields. Most interestingly, these professions combine creativity, craftsmanship, and global opportunities. A young chef today can forge an international career much more easily than previous generations.

A young chef can build an international career today much more easily than previous generations

What are the culinary vocations like among young people? Do professional cooking and pastry resonate with the concerns of new generations?

Yes, although motivations have evolved. Younger generations are increasingly drawn to professions that allow them to create, express themselves, and have a tangible impact. Gastronomy responds to many of these aspirations. Food today is linked to important social issues: sustainability, well-being, culture, transmission, local identity, and even social connection. Young people are also very sensitive to authenticity and creativity, values ​​deeply rooted in culinary professions. What has changed is that they no longer seek only prestige or hierarchy, but also purpose and balance. Schools and employers must understand this evolution.

For a student, are technical skills and discipline enough, or do they also need other qualities (empathy, communication skills, business acumen, creativity) to forge a successful professional career?

Technical mastery and discipline remain fundamental. They generate rigor, consistency, and credibility. But today, they are no longer enough on their own. Modern culinary professionals also need creativity, adaptability, emotional intelligence, communication skills, and, increasingly, business acumen. Kitchens are multicultural environments where teamwork and leadership are essential. A successful chef today must not only be able to execute flawlessly but also manage people, communicate a vision, understand diners, and adapt to a constantly changing world.

Schools must train technically excellent, intellectually curious professionals capable of evolving globally

Ingredients, techniques, and ideas are now circulating at an unprecedented speed, transforming gastronomy into a true space for dialogue. In this context, chef training goes far beyond technique. What should a culinary school teach its students today to develop well-rounded professionals?

Gastronomy has become a true space for dialogue. This means that culinary training must go far beyond technique. Schools must teach students to think, interpret, and collaborate. Exposure to different culinary cultures, the challenges of sustainability, the realities of sourcing, and international teamwork are essential. Students must also learn to adapt. A chef may work in several countries throughout their career, on teams made up of professionals from diverse cultures. Therefore, understanding diversity and developing cultural intelligence becomes as important as mastering a sauce or a pastry technique. Ultimately, schools must train technically excellent, intellectually curious professionals capable of evolving on a global scale.

Besides the effort to nurture the passion of young people from schools, do you believe that the world of haute cuisine and pastry should change its methods and work culture to attract young talent to its projects?

Yes, undoubtedly. Haute cuisine and high-level pastry possess extraordinary strengths: creativity, excellence, transmission of knowledge, craftsmanship; but some sectors still maintain outdated work cultures that new generations increasingly reject. The sector must continue to evolve towards healthier leadership models, a better work-life balance, more inclusive environments, and more sustainable management practices. Excellence and human well-being should not be incompatible. In fact, the most successful kitchens today are often those that combine high standards with a strong team culture and mutual respect.

AI will transform some aspects of the sector, but gastronomy remains fundamentally human

How is AI affecting—or how will it affect—professional kitchens? Is this topic already being addressed in schools like École Ducasse? 

AI will undoubtedly transform some aspects of the sector, especially at the operational level. It can already assist with inventory management, menu planning, nutritional analysis, forecasting, and administrative tasks. However, gastronomy remains fundamentally human. Creativity, emotion, intuition, hospitality, and sensory experience cannot be automated. Therefore, AI should be considered a tool that can improve efficiency and foster creativity, rather than replace chefs. At École Ducasse, we already introduce students to these topics through discussions on innovation, technology, and the evolution of professional practices. It is important that future chefs understand these tools and learn to use them intelligently and responsibly.

What culinary trends will dominate in the coming years?

Several important trends are clearly emerging. First, plant-based cuisine will continue to expand, not as a constraint, but as a sophisticated field of creativity. Secondly, desserts are becoming less sweet and more focused on balance, natural flavors, and seasonality. Thirdly, there is a growing return to local ecosystems: chefs are reconnecting with producers, orchards, and regional products. More generally, gastronomy is moving towards greater meaning and coherence. Consumers are increasingly seeking experiences that combine flavor, authenticity, sustainability, and storytelling. The chefs who will stand out tomorrow will be those capable of combining technical excellence with cultural openness, environmental awareness, and emotional connection.

The post Karine Hyon-Vintrou (École Ducasse): “Young chefs seek purpose and balance, not just prestige” appeared first on so good.. magazine.

Here are some of the most original techniques and tools featured in the book.

Discover Offbeat

1. A Self-Invented  Aluminum Foil Stamp for Fractal Effects

Offbeat showcases his own inventions, tools that were previously unavailable in the professional market, such as the aluminum foil stamp.

The process begins by shaping a piece of aluminum foil over the bonbon cavity. Then, the stamp is heated with a heat gun and pressed onto molds that have been previously sprayed with dark cocoa butter.

Next, the cavities are painted with yellow cocoa butter, and the bonbon is encased. The result is a spectacular fractal effect in yellow and black, with a very modern and artistic aesthetic.

2. Tea strainer, an everyday object transformed into a design tool

Dubovik demonstrates that professional tools aren’t necessary to create highly aesthetic bonbons. Many of his designs originate from everyday objects like paintbrushes, toothpicks, or adhesive tape.

One of the most curious examples is the use of a small tea strainer. The chef places it over the mold cavities and airbrushes dark cocoa butter through the metal mesh.

He then applies white cocoa butter and coats the bonbon with dark chocolate. This achieves a very fine and elegant geometric texture, with a delicate dark gradient on the top of the chocolate.

3. Viscose cloth for generating static electricity

Some of Dubovik’s most original techniques were born by accident. One of them takes advantage of the static electricity generated when cleaning the molds with a viscose cloth.

After rubbing the cavities and applying cocoa butter, the chef discovered that the product reacted differently: it became more electrified and less stable. Instead of avoiding this effect, he decided to use it as a creative resource.

To achieve these decorative particles with a bronze finish, he first rubs the mold with a napkin or viscose cloth. Then he brings a piping tip coated in cocoa butter close without touching the surface. The result is a very dynamic and sophisticated visual effect, perfect for signature bonbons and avant-garde designs.

Discover Offbeat

Thanks for reading! At so good.. magazine you’ll find more content related to the world of pastry. Follow us at @sogoodmag to discover much more.

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In this new context, Domange has developed an interesting approach to simplification and optimization in the world of fruit, with the aim of making the pastry chef’s work easier. In so good..magazine 35, he reveals the keys to his system and provides practical examples of its application through attractive pastry creations.

Discover so good.. magazine 35

Signature Fruit, Christophe Domange’s method

The Signature Fruit method is based on a simple but powerful principle: a stable and natural base confit, designed to serve as a base for different uses. 

In just a few steps, this confit can be turned into a light mousse, a fruity cream, delicious whipped cream, or a glossy glaze. With less sugar, less fat, and more consistency.

Steps to create basic recipes with all the flavor of fruit, simplifying production processes and saving time:

1. Create a plein fruit confit with a minimum number of ingredients, easily available, and with zero or minimal additives.

2. The confit must be firm and must also be the base for other creations (crémeux, whipped fruit cream, mousse, and glaze).

3. The new confit is made up of the following ingredients: fruit purée, sugar, potato starch, and gelatin. For certain fruits, such as citrus fruits, inulin is added to provide texture and fiber, improving creaminess and contributing to the evolution of energy values.

4. The rest of the base recipes are created using this confit.

If you want to discover steps to make a fruit confit crémeux (confit + a small amount of 35%-fat cream), consult the magazine.

Also in so good.. magazine 35 you’ll find an interview where Christophe Domange defines the perfect dessert, future pastry trends, and his limits when creating a new recipe, as well as these creations.

Unconventional pâtes de fruit

Five years ago, Domange thought about how to reduce the sugar (sucrose) content to achieve a more intense fruit flavor. Cost was also taken into account. This is how the new ‘Signature Pâte de Fruit’ method
was born.

Discover the details and numerous practical examples in so good.. magazine 35

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Martín Lippo has studied the versatility and creativity of this machine at his Vakuum culinary school and workshop in Barcelona. In our international ice cream magazine, so cool.. magazine 3, he explores its many features and advantages.

Ready to discover a real alternative for making creamy and versatile ice cream instantly without needing much space and avoiding waste?

Discover so cool.. magazine 3

How does the Pacojet work?

The Pacojet is a countertop machine that crushes and emulsifies mixtures or pure products (without the addition of any sugar or texturizers) previously frozen in a special container. 

Main advantages of making ice cream with the Pacojet

1. No chilling required: individual portions instantly and less waste

Unlike a conventional ice cream maker, the Pacojet doesn’t have a refrigeration unit, so it can’t chill the mix. This means the mix must be pre-frozen between -20 and -22ºC.

Since the mix doesn’t need to be chilled immediately, only the required portion can be packaged, and the rest can be returned to the freezer immediately, maintaining freshness and avoiding product waste.

2. Micro-crushing: finer, smoother, and creamier texture

The blades move from the surface to the base of the cups, crushing the frozen mix into the pre-programmed number of portions. This process actually produces smaller ice crystals than traditional ice cream makers, resulting in smoother and creamier textures.

3. Controlled aeration: two ice cream styles (firm or compact)

The Pacojet operates in two modes: with overpressure and normal pressure. With overpressure, up to 30% air is incorporated into the mixture. This results in creamier ice cream with a lighter texture. In normal pressure mode, an overrun of between 3% and 5% is generated, resulting in a firmer and more compact ice cream.

4. Versatility: from sugar-free sorbets to frozen powders

The Pacojet is a very practical and flexible machine that allows you to process the mixture in the bowl on demand, either whole or in portions, without needing to store it for later use. This is the key to its versatility, as it allows you to work with products that would be difficult or even impossible with a conventional ice cream maker.

For example, creating completely salted ice creams or sorbets without any sugar, or the well-known frozen powders, introduced by elBulli in the late 1990s. These add a new, icy, and dry texture to dishes, using any sweet or savory ingredient. 

5. Cups marked in units: operational speed in kitchens and workshops

The cups are marked in units of one-tenth of their capacity. These volume markings allow professionals to process a single portion as ordered or needed and then return the rest to the freezer, where the contents of the cup can remain safely frozen for months. Each portion typically weighs around 80 g, and its final volume ranges from 110 to 120 g after expansion. This provides greater operational speed in kitchens and workshops.

6. Simple recipes and less sugar

With the Pacojet, much simpler recipes can be developed with a much shorter number of ingredients than those typically used in ice cream making. Flexible, functional, and extremely controlled sugar management is possible, tailored to the nature of the product and the desired texture for each type of ice cream or sorbet. Lippo uses sugar not as the primary sweetener, but as a tool for controlling texture, freezing point, and mouthfeel.

Discover all the versatility of the Pacojet and these recipes in so cool.. magazine 3

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To mark International Celiac Day, celebrated on May 16th, we recommend these six baking and pastry books, ideal for learning techniques, expanding your repertoire, and adapting any recipe to be gluten-free. And all of them are available in our online bookstore Books For Chefs.

The Elements of Baking by Katarina Cermelj: A Guide to Adapting Any Recipe

With a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry, Katarina Cermelj explains in The Elements of Baking how to easily adapt recipes to individual diets (gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, or even vegan gluten-free) without sacrificing flavor.

With quantitative modification rules, The Elements of Baking, available in English, was named Best Specialty Cookbook at the 2025 Guild of Food Writers Awards and won the 2025 IACP Award in the Health and Wellness category.

It’s an ideal read for rediscovering the freedom to prepare classic recipes without worrying about problematic ingredients.

Discover The Elements of Baking

The Queen of Cakes: Gluten-Free by Mona Tähtinen. Artistic Gluten-Free Pastry

The Queen of Cakes: Gluten-Free, available in English, is an invitation to discover the magic of creative and artistic gluten-free pastry through spectacular layer cakes.

Layer cakes are cakes designed to celebrate, share, and create special moments. With more than 20 gluten-free recipes for fillings and bases, Finnish author Mona Tähtinen encourages experimenting with different combinations of flavors, textures, and decorating techniques, enjoying the step-by-step creative process. The recipes can also be used for cookies, éclairs, macarons, and more. It’s an ideal read for those looking to elevate their pastry skills, create memorable cakes, and discover new possibilities within the gluten-free world.

Discover The Queen of Cakes: Gluten-free

The Art of Gluten-Free Bread by Aran Goyoaga: The Gluten-Free Bread Bible

The Art of Gluten-Free Bread, available in English, stands as one of the most comprehensive and innovative guides to gluten-free baking. Renowned chef Aran Goyoaga, a three-time James Beard Award finalist, presents a book that transforms the way wheat-free bread is made using advanced techniques and sourdough starter.

With over 100 recipes, this book teaches you how to prepare everything from traditional breads like baguettes, boules, and rolls, to bagels, croissants, brioche, challah, and panettone. Goyoaga also explains how to master natural leavening using alternative flours, as well as how to utilize dough scraps and leftovers to develop new creations like Banana Sourdough Bread.

It’s an ideal read for learning how to make gluten-free bread from both a technical and creative perspective.

Discover The Art of Gluten-Free

The Gluten-Free Cookbook by Cristian Broglia. 350 recipes from over 80 countries

The Gluten-Free Cookbook is a comprehensive book, available in English, that gathers 350 gluten-free recipes from over 80 countries. These easy-to-prepare recipes are perfect for any time of day, from breakfast to dinner and dessert.

Cristian Broglia, founder of the food research and development laboratory CHEFin LAB, presents everything from Australian pavlovas and Mexican vanilla flans to vegan, vegetarian, nut-free, and dairy-free options.

It’s an ideal read for expanding your gluten-free culinary repertoire with recipes from around the world.

Discover The Gluten-Free Cookbook

Pasticceria Evolutiva  by Leonardo di Carlo. Evolving with the Times

In Pasticceria Evolutiva (Evolutionary Pastry), Leonardo di Carlo starts with a basic recipe and generates countless versions adapted to modern needs: lactose-free, gluten-free, egg-free, with alternative sugars, and vegan options.

Following the philosophy of “do more with less,” the Italian chef provides professionals with the tools to update their daily production with recipes that prioritize flavor, balance, and health. Readers will discover a wide repertoire of preparations, including puff pastry, traditional sponge cakes, cookies, fried pastries, cakes, creams, and healthy desserts. Each recipe invites experimentation, reinterpretation, and improvement.

This book, written in Italian, is ideal for understanding pastry as a flexible and evolving system, where a recipe can be transformed into a gluten-free version without sacrificing technical quality or flavor.

Discover Pasticceria Evolutiva

Afternoon Edit by Barbara Grimoldi. Tea Time Can Be Memorable

Afternoon Edit is an English-language ebook designed for chefs who want to transform tea time into a memorable culinary experience with 20 recipes free of refined sugar, many of them plant-based and gluten-free.

Cookies, travel cakes, and easy-to-replicate baked goods that adapt to different settings. Each recipe includes detailed nutritional information—calories and macronutrients—along with dietary labels that make it easy to identify allergens and ensure suitability for various dietary needs.

It’s the perfect read for chefs looking to make tea time a truly memorable occasion.

Discover Afternoon Edit

The post Six essential books for mastering gluten-free baking and pastry appeared first on so good.. magazine.

In addition to his managerial responsibilities, he remains enthusiastic and committed to his craft and to the more artistic side of working with chocolate and caramel.

In so good.. magazine 35, as well as sharing his thoughts on the future of haute pâtisserie and the prestige of French confectionery, he reveals his creative process for a hotel such as the Brach.

Photos, Damien Allard

Below we share an excerpt from the interview published in print. Don’t miss the full interview in so good.. magazine 35!

Discover so good.. magazine 35

How would you define your desserts? What is the concept?

My style is traditional, minimalist, and gourmet all at once. I always try to bring an authentic sensibility to each of my creations to provoke emotions in a simple, understandable, and contemporary world.

I believe that dessert should be and ally oh happiness, a source of pleasure comparable to that provided by physicial exercise. I like to provoke this dose of endorphins through my creations, but always with lightness.

What is your creative process when designing desserts for a hotel with such a unique and distinctive style as Brach?

I try to revisit traditional desserts with a warm and modern touch. I am inspired by the unique atmosphere at Brach, which is elegant, lively, and contemporary.

Dietetic, light, healthy, fat-free, and sugar-free… Where is haute patisserie headed? What will it be like in the near future?

I believe that patisserie will evolve with current trends. We must be able to adapt to all tastes, and although some trends are leaning significantly towards lighter desserts with less sugar, we will continue to develop our creations to always satisfy our customers.

French patisserie continues to be the global benchmark. Why?

As in fashion, we have great master pastry chefs who have left their mark on history and perpetuated traditions over time.

French patisserie represents excellence, and I don’t think it will be ever dethroned.

Don’t miss in the so good.. magazine 35 these creations and the full interview in which Fabien Emery also explains what it’s been like to take over from someone like Yann Brys, how many people are in his team, and what a typical working day is like for him.

The post Fabien Emery: “French patisserie represents excellence, it will be ever dethroned” appeared first on so good.. magazine.

Forty-three culinary professionals were asked to name their favorite chocolate bars available in the United States for under $25. Manjari took the number one spot, with ten votes, ahead of a field of highly respected international brands.

The jury included a representative sample of chefs, pastry chefs, bakers, cookbook authors, restaurateurs, entrepreneurs, and chocolate specialists, including Dominique Ansel, Eunji Lee, Orlando Soto, and Christina Wood.

Created in 1990, Manjari 64% emerged after Valrhona teams discovered exceptional cocoa beans in Madagascar, and decided to capture their unique expressive profile in a single-origin couverture. Since then, it has become one of the brand’s most iconic products.

Its main characteristic is fruity, its secondary note is acidic, and its exceptional note is berries. The result is a coating with notes of fleshy red berries and a liveliness that feels vibrant on the palate.

The post Valrhona’s Manjari 64% named Top Chocolate Bar by The New York Times appeared first on so good.. magazine.

The teams had to interpret the beauty of the underwater world through their creations, from coral reefs to vibrant ecosystems beneath the sea.

As in 2024, Japan (Nina Ioka and Natsuki Maruyama) took the victory. Second place went to Malaysia (Foo Yi Qing and Pui Teng) and third to the Philippines (Janelle Joy Toh and Gian Aguirre). The highlight of this edition is that, for the first time in the competition’s history, all the podium teams were composed of women (except for the coaches).

During the competition, Singapore and South Korea earned wild cards, meaning these two countries will also compete in the World Cup. Additionally, India received the Rising Star award and Indonesia the award for best team spirit.

The post Japan wins the most female-led Asian Pastry Cup in history appeared first on so good.. magazine.

Masterclasses with great masters, his time in luxury hotels and culinary academies, and the demanding preparation required to participate in competitions such as the 2025 Pastry World Cup and the 2024 Gelato World Cup have given him a solid foundation. It is precisely from these experiences in competitions that Dexter has developed a high level of excellence that has allowed him to enhance his creativity.

In terms of aesthetics, his is a fantasy patisserie, heavily inspired by the wonderland of chocolate. Want to know how he enhances his creativity? Here are some reflections!

Photos: Debic

Discover so good.. magazine 35

Take care of the flavor, but also the aesthetics

“As a chef, taste and textures must always come first as our utmost priority. With social media being integrated so deeply in our life, I believe the aesthetic aspect is absolutely important as well.”

A good example is The Black Swan, in which he revisits the classic ‘Cygne en Pâte a choux’ (Choux Swan). “I’ve done a few versions of my own twist previously, and this one here is my latest one. With the truffle looking Truffle Cremeux sitting on the choux pastry, it resembles the back of a swan. And how else can I make it more intricate and elaborate the flavor of the choux at the same time? Truffle (patterned) wings perhaps. Pun intended.”

Discover the recipe for The Black Swan in so good.. magazine 35

Test your own limits

“There is no fixed pathway for my creative process. Sometimes my inspiration can come from nature, a bizarre idea from conversations, other times even upon waking up one morning and suddenly felt strongly to create something new.”

There are times when Dexter Lee feels like he wants to push the boundaries of his creativity. “I would challenge myself to create something new that wouldn’t involve the usage of any mold. The Golden Bamboo here is one of them. With mere simple maneuvering of the Sudachi Genmai Curd and Chantilly Cream to resemble the bamboo pattern, it helps to create this pastry here that is also well balanced with the Tonka Chantilly at the center.”

Discover the recipe for The Golden Bamboo in so good.. magazine 35

Customized molds, 3D or AI to differentiate oneself

“In competitions you would often see each country has its own customized molds, stencils, sometimes even cabinets. I believe with the aid of technology like 3D printing and Artificial Intelligence, many pastry shops will be able to do customization on their own.”

In Singapore Pastry Cup 2025 (National selection for Coupe du Monde de la patisserie 2027), he did a plated dessert Circuit. “My buffet theme was Cyborg Rodeo, a chocolate sculpture of a Female Robot riding on a Cyborg horse, with an underlying meaning of riding into the future (year 2027). The dessert was designed to look like a microchip from the chocolate sculpture, imprinted with the serial number Coupe Du Monde de La Patisserie 2027, and with a chocolate decoration technique I came up with to resemble the circuit beads of the microchip.”

Discover Circuit’s recipe in so good.. magazine 35

Combining traditions and techniques from different countries

“I believe that as chefs we should strive to be the bridge to connect people of our country to our craft. Often, by using local ingredients combined with techniques from different countries, it helps them to enjoy flavors that they are familiar with, but in a different dimension.”

In the dishes he presents in so good.. magazine 35, he showcases this blend of traditions by combining citrusy Japanese ingredients like sudachi with Chantilly cream, or açai, native to the Amazon rainforest in South America, with craquelin, to name a few examples.

The post How to improve creativity in pastry according to Dexter Lee appeared first on so good.. magazine.