about the dessert as a whole.
He'll research the history of
pavlova (including what culture
it originates from and why it's
made) to draw inspiration from
the ingredients and then do the
same for mangoes. He'll also ask
questions like "What is the main
texture of this dessert?"
"It's almost like I'm talking
with my creations," he says.
"'What is your character?' And
I try to put that on the dish."
Plating, however, can be a
challenge. Prior to Boulevard,
Takahashi didn't spend a lot
of time in restaurant kitchens.
And as someone who prioritizes
taste above all else, painting
has become a powerful way for
him to polish his presentation
skills. It's also helped him step
out of his shell as the shy chef
from Japan.
"I really don't like to be in
front of people; that's why I'm
always hiding in the kitchen,"
he admits. But since he started
painting over a year ago,
Takahashi has participated in
exhibitions and learned to talk
about his creations.
Last October, he held a
month-long solo exhibition at
Melriches Coffeehouse, where
he sold three small canvases.
That inspired him to do dessert
demonstrations at Boulevard
so that he doesn't have to
always rely on the restaurant's
branding team to tell his
creative stories.
"That was very interest-
ing," says Takahashi when
asked how it felt to sell his art.
"I don't have any confidence
in my creations—and it's the
same for desserts—so I was
worrying about many things.
But good people came in, and
for me, those creations [acted
as] a pipeline to connect with
someone else. Without that ex-
hibition, without my creations,
I wouldn't have reached those
great people, so that's what I
really liked. I love those connec-
tions. That's more valuable than
selling art."
SOCIAL CUES
FISHING FOR LIKES
Burnaby-based taiyaki and soft-serve
shop Little Pisces is luring in
new customers with social media
by Dani Wright
Opening Day
A month after opening,
Little Pisces recapped
the behind-the-scenes of
its opening day—provid-
ing an insider POV for
customers interested in
how they run the shop.
257 likes
15 comments
Cheers to That
Little Pisces highlights its
limited-run happy hour
experiment—the owner
explains on camera that
they're trying to discover
whether running a dis-
count will drive more
traffic or if it will lead to
a net loss for the shop,
driving up interactions
as commenters get
excited to find out how it
will go.
233 likes
14 comments
Stuck on You
The brand showcased
an experimental flavour
(mango sticky rice) that
ultimately failed, but by
revealing the attempt,
Little Pisces was able to
engage more of its audi-
ence, who responded
with their own flavour
suggestions.
437 likes
23 comments
76
B C B U S I N E S S . C A
N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 24
"
It's almost
like I'm talk-
ing with my
creations.
'What is your
character?'
And I try to
put that on
the dish."
To p l e f t : K e n t a Ta k a h a s h i
PICTURE THIS
Pâtissier Kenta Takahashi finds
calm in blending together lines,
shapes and splashes of colour
