Louisa Lim: Asia's Best Pastry Chef 2023
A few days ago, the 10th edition of the Asia’s 50 Best was taking place in Singapore, one of the most coveted events in the world of gastronomy that we were proud to sponsor yet again this year. We were particularly delighted to sponsor and present the ‘Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2023’ award. Whether you were physically at the ceremony or tuned in from a distance, you know how great of a surprise it was to discover the name of who will be the best pastry chef in Asia this year. Ladies and gentlemen: Her!
Introducing Louisa Lim, who was born and raised in Singapore. Louisa Lim became passionate about the culinary arts at a young age and moved to Paris to graduate from Le Cordon Bleu. She has then honed her craft at several Michelin-starred establishments in France and at home in Singapore. While living in France, pastry chef Lim sharpened her know-how and was inspired by the passion the French put in their craft, which lead her to pursue her dream and become a pastry chef.
Within a year and a half, she worked her way from intern to Pastry Commis at Michelin restaurants Hexagon and Histoires in Paris. She then moved on to reopen restaurant Apicius under the guidance of Pastry Chef Marc Lecomte and Jerome Chaucesse, Meilleur ouvrier de France - Pâtissier Confiseur 2015.
Bringing with her a keen eye for detail, Louisa joined Odette in 2019, the French fine dining bastion helmed by chef Julien Royer located inside the National Gallery Singapore, which took the No.1 spot in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2019 and 2020. Lim joined the restaurant in 2019, where she began to work closely with Chef Julien to imagine desserts to satiate both the Eastern and Western palate. She is constantly pushing the boundaries, challenging herself and leading her team to incorporate ‘hot kitchen’ techniques in pastry, meld contrasting flavours together in harmony and create desserts which balance the menu while drawing the Odette experience to a delightful and delicate close.
It was an amazing surprise and Valrhona is thrilled to be a part of this adventure especially since Odette has been one of our dearest customers over the past years in the region. It has been nothing but a delight to work with such a talented, passionate and generous team that embodies what gastronomy stands for. Louisa Lim is a one-of-a-kind and her creativity never goes unnoticed.
Reminiscing one particular collaboration: A mesmerizing menu revolving around the pairing of ‘Cocoa & Vanilla’ from starters to desserts organized for our Cercle V in June last year. One to remember!
Dreams do come true, and Louisa Lim definitely plays a role in paving the way for a better and fairer future of gastronomy.
Congratulations again to a well and truly deserved award, Chef!
