Interview with Shogo Nishio, owner of Patisserie La Biche
First, we'd like to ask you about the time of the July 2018 Heavy Rain Disaster.
It rained continuously until July 7, and a post on the shop's Facebook page said that the next day, July 8, you had already rushed to an evacuation shelter with 300 sweets.
How were you able to act so quickly?
Nishio
After the rain started, the area around my home was flooded, so I couldn't get to the shop.
The water finally started to recede around the evening of the 7th, so I went out to check on the shop, which I was worried about. Tamashima was already back to normal, with the familiar scenery all around.
Meanwhile, nearby Mabi was in a terrible state.
When I saw it on TV, I was shocked by how different the situation was from the area around Tamashima.
With Mabi in such a state, I felt unsettled and troubled that I could go to my shop as usual and carry on with my ordinary life.
Around then, I heard the news that Cent Inn Kurashiki was opening its hotel baths to people affected by the disaster.
I already knew the people at Cent Inn, so I was moved that they had taken action so quickly.
Was seeing someone already taking action what prompted you?
Nishio
Yes, I think the fact that someone I knew was taking action was a big factor.
Cent Inn was providing baths, so when I thought, “What can I do? What is something I can do?” I realized that we had sweets at the shop.
I wanted to deliver them to at least the evacuation shelters in the Tamashima area, so I acted right away.
There weren't enough sweets for us to provide them on our own, so I contacted other confectionery shops in the Tamashima area. We delivered 600 sweets the first time, and from the second time onward, we put out a call on Facebook and took them to the shelters each time.
Looking at Facebook, it seems you started with 600 sweets the first time and distributed a total of 3,950 sweets over five visits in six months.
It must have been difficult to gather that many.
Nishio
We are truly grateful.
We received help not only from confectionery shops in Tamashima, but also from Asakuchi, Ibara, Soja, Mizushima and Kojima in Kurashiki, as well as a bakery in Yamagata Prefecture, and were able to distribute the sweets at the shelters.
We had decided to continue until Wohl Wollen in Mabi reopened, so afterward I wanted to continue supporting people in a different way.
I imagine the donated sweets brought great joy to people who had been through so much. What was their response?
Nishio
First of all, an “evacuation shelter” was a new experience for everyone.
We didn't know how far we should go inside, so we simply left the sweets at reception.
Two or three days later, an acquaintance who was at a shelter told me, “Everyone was really happy.”
Life in an evacuation shelter is tougher than you might imagine, and people are also conscious of how others see them.
It wasn't that they had no money, but they seemed to feel guilty about buying sweets in such circumstances, thinking it might be extravagant.
So when people affected by the disaster told me, “These are just the kind of sweets I wanted to eat,” I was truly happy.
While continuing to donate sweets to evacuation shelters, you also held a “sweets-making class for children affected by the disaster.”
How did that class come about?
Nishio
The heavy rain came in July, and adults began to worry that the children's summer vacation would end with only memories of the flooding.
We thought, “Could we do something to support the children and give them a fun memory?” and acted right away.
Fortunately, when I posted on social media that we were planning a sweets-making class, people immediately said, “I'll help” and “I'll lend a hand.”
Still, it was our first time doing anything like this, so we were figuring everything out as we went. We reserved a venue first, then shared information in LINE groups connected through the children. Word also spread through the shelters, and more than 30 parents and children attended on the day.
Looking at Facebook, I can tell how much the children who took part enjoyed themselves.
Nishio
Yes. I was very nervous, though (laughs).
I hope that 10 or 20 years from now, the children will remember not only the frightening and sad things, but also the happy memory of saying, “Remember when we made a cake?”
Even during floods, disasters, and other extraordinary times, there are people who want sweets, and that was another reason I held the class.
I hope this can lead to something in the future.
The high turnover rate among pastry chefs is a problem.
I would be very happy if even one of the children who came to the class decided they wanted to work in confectionery, so that the industry doesn't decline.
After your support for the evacuation shelters had wound down, what activities did you carry out in Mabi?
Nishio
We had decided to distribute sweets at the shelters until Wohl Wollen recovered, so after they rebuilt their shop in December, I began organizing “Okashina Sawa-kai” in Mabi.
With La Biche's renovation, the tea gatherings have been on hold since the last one in July 2019.
We had planned to resume around spring 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic has meant we still haven't been able to hold the gatherings.
After the flooding, things had begun to settle down a little, and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It has been one difficult thing after another.
Did it have a major impact on your shop and the local community?
Nishio
Thankfully, the shop's sales themselves were hardly affected.
But through my connections with local restaurants, I could feel how serious things were. People who had always been full of energy were saying
“There's nothing we can do. It's over. We're finished.”
Most of the restaurants were saying things like that, so I felt something like guilt that my own shop was busy.
Even so, people from Tamashima's restaurants came to buy cakes, and despite their own difficulties, they would say,
“It's good that you don't seem to be affected here. I'm relieved.”
That's what they would tell me.
At first, I didn't know how to respond, but their words also gave me strength, and I wanted to support and contribute in some way.
What specifically did you do to support and contribute to local restaurants?
Nishio
Some people were quick to start offering takeout, so I bought takeout containers too and dropped them off at each shop—not to force them on anyone, but saying, “You're going to do takeout, right?”
“If you offer takeout, people will definitely come and buy from you!” I wanted to give them a push, so I just got out there and did what I could.
From the July 2018 Heavy Rain Disaster to the COVID-19 pandemic, one difficult thing has followed another. I don't know if it's a test of what I can do, but I think of it as being given a chance, and just act on whatever comes to mind.
The reason I am where I am today, and why La Biche is here, is that I've been blessed with the people around me.
I want to give something back, even in a small way.
From the Writer
When we're irritated, tired, or just not in the mood, how many times have sweet treats come to our rescue?
There's something about eating a sweet treat rich with the aroma of butter that puts you at ease.
That's why, hearing the words of someone affected by the disaster—“These are just the kind of sweets I wanted to eat”—and wondering how much feeling was behind them, I was moved to tears.
Mr. Nishio told us, “I want to give every day my all and be a craftsman for life.”
Especially in today's uncertain world, I felt inspired to work hard and do what I can with sincerity.
Be sure to visit Patisserie La Biche, just outside Shin-Kurashiki Station.
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 |
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
Enter a word to search articles on this site
