Did you know that during the July 2018 torrential rains, people organized an effort to send sweets to evacuation shelters?
Over the six months from July to December, about 3,900 sweets were distributed to people living in evacuation shelters in five rounds.
The person who called for the support effort was Shogo Nishio, owner of “Patisserie La Biche,” located in front of Shin-Kurashiki Station.
Based in Tamashima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, Patisserie La Biche celebrated its seventh anniversary in 2020.
Word of its cakes, generously made with Okayama fruit, has gradually spread, and today it is cherished as an indispensable cake shop in Tamashima.
“Whenever I get an idea, I just go ahead and act on it right away,” says Nishio.
In this interview, he talks about the July 2018 torrential rains and what lies ahead.
The information presented was current when this article was published in June 2020. Please note that it may differ from current information.
The cake shop in Tamashima: “Patisserie La Biche”
“Patisserie La Biche” is just in front of Shin-Kurashiki Station. It is well known through word of mouth, especially among customers in Tamashima.
The owner-pastry chef of La Biche is Shogo Nishio, who is from Tamashima.
After 11 years of training at a patisserie in Kurashiki City, he opened the shop in 2013.
A charming neighborhood cake shop decorated mainly in white and pink.
The shop was renovated in October 2019, and dine-in seating was added.
Entry is restricted as a measure against COVID-19 (at the time of the interview in June 2020).
The parking lot is behind the shop, with eight spaces in the building’s shared parking area.
This is the shared parking lot for the Shin-Kurashiki Redevelopment Building. Be sure to park in the right place.
Inside Patisserie La Biche, now with new dine-in seating
La Biche’s bright, cheerful interior is filled with sweets wherever you look, all 360 degrees around.
Cute gift sets in pretty wrapping and baked goods line all four sides of the shop.
The colorful display case directly opposite the entrance.
Dine-in seating was added as part of the shop’s renovation.
Apparently, many customers had long wanted a dine-in area, saying, “We’d like to use it while waiting for the Shinkansen or a train.”
The eat-in tables are made of hinoki cypress from Niimi City, Okayama Prefecture, and the chairs are made by Teori, a furniture manufacturer in Mabi.
The furniture from Niimi City and Mabi was chosen out of a desire to “contribute, even in a small way, to areas affected by flooding.”
The work displayed on the wall is by ceramic artist Hara Arika, who lives in Mabi, Kurashiki City.
The tables, chairs, and Hara’s ceramics all fit beautifully with the shop’s gentle atmosphere.
La Biche’s fresh cakes, brimming with seasonal fruit
The fresh cakes are popular with customers, who say, “There’s always a new cake whenever I visit, so I never get tired of them and want to keep coming back.”
They use plenty of local fruit, keeping customers coming back for more.
There are 20 to 25 varieties, including around five or six seasonal cakes.
Owner-pastry chef Nishio’s family ran a strawberry farm.
While helping deliver strawberries to cake shops, he was encouraged by his mother to pursue a career as a pastry chef.
“I want every customer to enjoy eating our cakes, so we make every one with care and never cut corners.”
Nishio says he doesn’t want to choose a single best-selling cake. Trust your own taste and find your favorite.
Apparently, some regular customers keep coming back to buy just one particular kind of cake.
I spotted a treat that caught my eye! The seasonal recommendation, “Amazake Ginger,” is 400 yen (tax included).
It says it’s made with amazake from Tanaka Sake Brewery in Miyagi Prefecture and ginger syrup produced in Okayama Prefecture. What kind of jelly could it be?
The seasonal tart is “Ripe Peach Pineapple Tart from Iriomote Island,” 450 yen (tax included), and next to it is “Ko-ne Island Mandarin Orange Jelly,” 400 yen (tax included).
Even though Okayama Prefecture has plenty of fruit, don’t you wonder, “Why Iriomote Island?” and “Where is Ko-ne Island?”
In fact, the Iriomote Island peach pineapples, amazake, and mandarin orange juice are products from manufacturers unable to ship them due to the impact of COVID-19, leaving them with excess stock.
Apparently, Nishio-san places the orders himself through a Facebook mutual-aid page and supports the manufacturers by making cakes with their products.
And of course, there’s melon from Ashimori, Okayama Prefecture! The juicy Ashimori melon is generously used as decoration.
A great selection of gift sets, baked treats, and seasonal items
Next to the display case is a refrigerated section labeled “Fresh Bouchees.”
The fresh bouchees come in four flavors: Tamashima white peach, Setouchi lemon, Uji matcha, and Takahashi Pione.
These La Biche specialties have a light, fluffy dough filled with fresh cream.
Created with the idea of making “a treat that feels like Tamashima,” the new “Matcha Butter Sandwich” costs 300 yen (tax included).
Filled with Uji matcha cream and roasted black soybeans from Okayama Prefecture, it’s a treat that captures the character of “Tamashima, the town of tea.”
There are plenty of baked treats sold individually, too! They reportedly have 20 to 30 varieties available at any given time.
Cookies in just the right size for a small gift.
There’s also a great selection of gift sets. Boxed assortments range from around 1,500 to 5,000 yen, so it’s nice to have options at different prices.
The table in the center of the shop features seasonal gift sets. Around Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, which were coming up soon after our visit, the shop was full of customers buying gifts.
Cute La Biche pin badges are sold next to the register.
They cost 100 yen each (tax included), and all proceeds go to Mabi Cleaning, a volunteer group that cleans photographs damaged in the July 2018 torrential rains.
Beautiful to look at and delicious: La Biche’s carefully crafted cakes
Since we were here, we tried some cakes that caught our eye. This is the “Iriomote Island Peach Pineapple Tart,” 450 yen (tax included).
It’s packed with juicy peach pineapple atop a crisp, crumbly tart crust!
The tree-ripened pineapple (left to fully ripen on the tree) was astonishingly sweet. I’d never tasted such delicious pineapple. It also paired wonderfully with the not-too-sweet custard.
The “Ko-ne Island Mandarin Orange Jelly,” 400 yen (tax included), has a lovely orange-and-white color scheme.
This refreshing jelly is made with 100% mandarin orange juice from Nagahata Farm on Ko-ne Island in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture.
The mandarin orange flavor is rich! With its balance of sweetness and tartness and smooth texture, it was gone in no time.
This is the pure-white “Amazake Ginger” jelly—the treat I was especially curious about.
The amazake has a gentle, mellow flavor, with a sharp kick of ginger… What a delicious jelly.
It’s a one-of-a-kind sweet that brings out the full appeal of amazake.
Last is the “Mont Blanc,” 400 yen (tax included), a favorite with children.
It’s generously topped with smooth, mellow chestnut paste! It’s quite large, but you’ll polish it off in no time.
Nishio-san, owner of Patisserie La Biche, who makes delicious cakes like these every day, has continued to provide support following the July 2018 torrential rains.
We interviewed him about the disaster and the volunteer work that followed.
Patisserie La Biche Information
| Name | Patisserie La Biche |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-23-111 Shin-Kurashiki Ekimae, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-526-8801 |
| Parking | Available 8 spaces in the Shin-Kurashiki Ekimae Redevelopment Building shared parking lot |
| Hours | 10:00 a.m.–7:30 p.m. |
| Closed | Wednesday |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted |
| Seating | 10 seats Tables: 1 × 4-seat, 3 × 2-seat |
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Website | La Biche: Facebook |
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