Suzue Aoyama Curley’s vision of using Japanese ingredients in patisserie more than 20 years ago
Suzue Aoyama Curley at former William Curley shops. Middle of photos at the top by Jose Lasheras; middle of photos in bottom row by Susumu Tsunoda. With Mary Berry on the left in the bottom row.
I have long admired the William Curley brand with its innovative flavours and achingly picture-perfect meticulously decorated cakes and chocolates. As I ploughed through their cookery books with jaw-droppingly stunning photographs of their labour of love, I couldn’t help but notice the clever use of non-European, notably, Japanese, ingredients in their offerings. The different flavour combinations and textures heighten the sensational pleasure of classic French pastry and chocolates. Both “Couture Chocolates” and “Patisserie” books were co-written by William Curley and his former wife, Suzue Aoyama Curley.
Much has been written about lauded William Curley, winner of numerous accolades and the face of William Curley brand, and much less about his former wife, Suzue Aoyama, a superbly talented patissier and chocolatier in her own right. Originally from Osaka, Japan, she came to the UK in 1995, having won a scholarship to the eminent culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu. After gaining experience at Claridges Hotel under the tutelage of John Williams (the current Executive Chef at The Ritz Hotel in London), she worked for the multiple-award-winning chef, Bruce Sangster, in the fine-dining cuisine at Lehman Brothers. In 1999, she joined the team of yet another reverred chef, Anton Edelman, at The Savoy Hotel, where she was in charge of tea pastries. It was here that she met her future husband, William Curley, the Head Chef Patissier.
Suzue experienced her first taste of competitions while working for Bruce Sangster (at Lehman Brothers) who was the captain of the Scottish Culinary Olympics team. She recalled, “It was amazing, really eye-opening to see that side of cooking at the competition.” In 2000, she became the first Japanese person to win the Gold Award in afternoon pastries at the culinary competition, International Salon Culinaire, London.
In 2004, William and Suzue Curley opened their first shop in Richmond, offering patisserie and chocolates. If that wasn’t enough, just 2 weeks before, they won the Gold medal at the Culinary Olympics. Suzue wouldn’t describe doing competitions as very enjoyable but “I did learn a lot from the competitions. Everything needed to be all precise and the same”.
The winning couple’s success hurtled forward. They seemed unstoppable, winning countless awards, while nurturing young talent. Since 2007, William Curley has won the annual Best British Chocolatier award from the Academy of Chocolate 4 times. The A team duo opened their second shop in Mayfair in 2009, followed by a chocolate concession at Harrods, London. More recognition ensued in 2010, with the young trainees in the William Curley team garnering numerous awards at Salon Culinaire competition. In 2012, William Curley became a member of the prestigious Relais Desserts and in the following year, Suzue and William Curley won 10 awards at Academy of Chocolate, 2 of which are for Japanese ingredients-flavoured chocolates and 5 of which were gold awards.
Photo of the William Curley team - from Richmond and Twickenham Times; photo on the left -Suzue and William Curley with other members of Relais Desserts
So, what brought Suzue from Japan to the dizzy heights of award-winning patisserie and chocolates in England? Suzue started her culinary journey at home. Her parents own a noodle restaurant in Osaka, Japan. “Cooking was always in the background.” Aged 3, she started helping to roll Japanese rice cakes. “Food is often next to me. Because of that, I naturally came to the food path.” She has loved patisserie since a young age and made her first Black Forest gateau when she was 11.
She studied management science at university in Japan. As part of the course, she had to help people improve productivity. In working out how to help novice cooks make a 3-course meal, she learned about the cookery process at a French cookery school in Japan. She fell in love with cooking, particularly, patisserie, but her parents yearned for her to have a corporate job. Undeterred, she was determined to study at the world famous Le Cordon Bleu in the UK. The only way that she could have done so was by getting a scholarship and impressively, she did. Even though she didn’t speak much English and with no French, she completed her Le Cordon Bleu training in London and Paris and the rest is history.
When she was studying at university in Japan, she came across a café that used Japanese ingredients in cakes. She had a lightbulb moment and planned to open a café in Japan, selling European cakes incorporating Japanese ingredients after studying at Le Cordon Bleu in the UK. Matcha (Japanese tea in powder form) was the first Japanese ingredient she used, as she was learning about Japanese tea ceremony.
In the 2 books co-written with William Curley and another one called “William Curley’s Chocolate Manual” (available only in Japanese), you can find a mélange of patisserie and chocolates, using a variety of Japanese ingredients. These included matcha, yuzu, wasabi, Japanese whisky, Sake, miso, Japanese black vinegar, kinako, sesame and shiso leaf. These components introduce new layers of flavours (sweet, sour, bitter and heat), textures, smokiness and nuttiness, giving cakes and chocolates a fresh dimension. The innovative use of these ingredients in those days seemingly paved the way for their use in fusion cuisine, as they become much more readily available in the UK.
She describes her creative process, “When I start, I will design the flavour structure. I wouldn’t put something with another ingredient unless they would match together, something that I would really like myself.” She continues, “I used poached pear with Sauterne and put it into matcha mousse. It actually worked really well. When I make things, I always think that I can make something better. Nothing becomes perfect [at first go]. It is a trial [and error] process.”
William and Suzue were passionate about training young chefs and creating the next generation of patissiers and chocolatiers, encouraging them to compete. They used to receive at least one application a week for a position at their shops. Many of their chefs or trainees have since opened their own shops or taken up senior positions at top establishments. Among them, Sarah Frankland, the Head Pastry Chef at the 5 star hotel, Pennyhill Park Hotel, worked her way up at William Curley for 6 ½ years from a commis chef to Head of Pastry until 2013. She was one of the finalists at The Bake Off: The Professionals in 2019. Alistair Birt, another chef who had worked for 6 years at William Curley, is Head Pastry Chef at Harrods. Both Sarah and Alistair were members of the William Curley team who won individual gold awards at Salon Culinaire in 2010.
Sadly, the William Curley shops closed in 2016 following a split from their investor, Sir Evelyn de Rothschild[1]. After 12 years of running the William Curley shops, Suzue has started her own workshop while being mother to the Curleys’ 8-year old daughter. Unlike other cookery classes, she offers to tailor her sessions to suit her customers’ abilities and needs, such as baking a particular design of cake for someone special. She also takes orders for special occasion cakes and you can sample her chocolates at Happy Sky Bakery (a Japanese bakery in White City, London) and her cakes at Neighbourhood Café in Kew, London.
Suzue’s creative force continues with her ever-evolving combination of flavours. I had the pleasure of trying her Miso Financier with sea salt caramel cream, Houji-cha sable sandwiched with Amedei Gianduja cream and Chocolate and cherry gateau with matcha cream, taking the classics to another level, adding layers upon layers of flavours and textures, sending your taste buds to another planet. Having supported her ex-husband for 12 years at the William Curley shops, perhaps being a stunning example of the proverb: “Behind every successful man is a woman”, may she shine like a glittering Milky Way in a clear night sky.
June 2019
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