What makes Ko Hiroshi Kakimoto and his chocolate store the hottest in Kyoto?

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If you want to know what it's like to keep sticking to what you love, then check out Ko Hiroshi Kakimoto.

From his beginnings working at the Royal Hotel Kyoto, Kobe Sweet Shop, and others, he opened his own chocolate dessert store, ASSEMBLAGES KAKIMOTO, in Kyoto in 2016, and has been recognized as one of tabelog's Top 100 Shops for four consecutive years. Three times she has entered international competitions with a full head of steam - representing Japan at the Confectionary World Cup in 2011, winning the individual championship in the ice sculpture category, and placing fourth at the World Chocolate Masters in 2013 and 2018. Since recognizing his passion for desserts, Ko Hiroshi Kakimoto has consistently moved forward and cultivated this path.

Compared to other talented dessert makers, Kohei Kakimoto's dessert career started relatively late, when at the age of 34 he set his sights on his goal: to do well in dessert competitions. For about four years afterward, he continued to compete while learning and figuring things out, and as he did so, Kakimoto's dessert-making skills steadily progressed, and he gradually made a name for himself in the world's competitions, winning many awards.

Kakimoto, who has traveled steadily and describes himself as “a late bloomer at 40,” says that his long journey has not been in vain. “All of my experiences are still fresh in my mind, and thanks to my past experience working in various restaurants, I am now able to make my own desserts, chocolates, and French food.” Kakimoto is quite proud of her past resume and her abilities today. That's why, on the ASSEMBLAGES KAKIMOTO logo, he also identifies himself with three elements - a “confectioner,” “chocolatier,” and “chef. “Chocolatier” and ‘Chef’.

ASSEMBLAGES KAKIMOTO, located in a quiet alleyway in Takeya-cho, Goshonan, Kyoto, its storefront is a remodeled Kyoto townhouse, which is rustic and stable, with a style that has the classical elegance of Kyoto. Kakimoto founded this trinity of chocolate, desserts and cuisine, “ASSEMBLAGES KAKIMOTO” in 2016. Born in Uji, Kyoto, Kakimoto is deeply influenced by wagashi and Kyoto culture, and most of the ingredients for his store's desserts come from Kyoto. ASSEMBLAGES KAKIMOTO's desserts and chocolates feature Kakimoto's unique creations, such as cumin-flavored cake sandwiches, cilantro- and ginger-flavored chocolates, and more.

Since its opening, it has become a super popular store for dessert lovers to visit for its rich flavor and beautiful shapes. The store's signature dessert, which is also a social network hit - the vert, consists of pistachio, matcha, yuzu, chocolate, zero-ling shandies, etc. When serving, the waiter will drizzle hot chocolate on the top of the dessert, and the top layer of chocolate melts due to the high temperature, dripping into the dessert inside the glass, and blending with the lower layer of The top layer of chocolate is melted by the heat and drizzled into the dessert inside the glass, which is combined with the lower layer of matcha, pistachio mousse, cashews, cake and so on, to create a rich combination of flavors.

Another popular product chocolate ball le jardin, is a magic double enjoyment of taste and vision, pistachio, shiso double ball ice cream with strawberries and raspberries, wrapped in a perfect chocolate ball, burning raspberry wine poured on the top of the chocolate ball melted and flowed, and the inside of the ice cream mingled with the milk, completing the dessert's final form, the aroma of wine, chocolate, fruity together play a long symphony of sweetness belonging to the adults. The wine, chocolate and fruit flavors together play a sweet symphony for grown-ups with a long aftertaste.

Minami-Gosho, where ASSEMBLAGES KAKIMOTO is located, wasn't well known when it opened in 2016, but now it's a well-known dessert mecca. Kakimoto collaborated with the brand “Henri Charpentier” to launch the first Minami-Gosho dessert, “Kyoto Triangle Chocolate Sandwich”. Inspired by the famous Kyoto dessert, the triangular shape, with chocolate cream sandwiched between two slices of chocolate pie, gives it an elegant sweetness with a hint of cinnamon, and it became a popular item that was in short supply when it was sold at the Isetan Department Store in Kyoto.

Kakimoto wants people to enjoy the “original flavor” of his desserts, so he generally does not use additives such as flavorings, which are essential in making desserts. However, many natural ingredients are fragile. Depending on the cooking process, flavors can disappear. “With some ingredients, the flavor disappears after cooking. If you want to bring out the flavor of an ingredient, you have to rely on seasonings. But then, the flavor presented is fundamentally different from the real flavor. We wanted to use the natural flavors of the ingredients to create impressive tastes.” All things considered, Kakimoto chose a cooking method that combines ingredients and layers flavors.

No matter how unexpected the combination of ingredients, if you can find common ground, you can harmonize them. At first glance, the combination of ginger, yuzu and chocolate may seem unexpected,” says Kakimoto. But all of these ingredients have one thing in common: bitter flavors. By combining these bitter flavors, we can create a harmonious overlap of all three.” The most important thing when combining is finding the balance. “The ratio of each ingredient is important. If you add too much ginger, it becomes too bitter, so use a smaller amount. The moment you put it in your mouth, you can taste the fresh grapefruit, the sweetness and bitterness of the chocolate, and when it melts in your mouth, you can enjoy the aroma of the ginger escaping through your nose. I think this perfect combination of flavors and aromas brings a whole new level of deliciousness.”

“I want to continue to evaluate the deliciousness of various ingredients and discover exciting combinations.” Exploration and creativity, that's Kakimoto's secret weapon. For example, combining chocolate with ingredients one wouldn't normally think of, whether it's ginger and yuzu, or celery and pineapple. The same goes for cakes, such as adding lemon flavor to a Mont Blanc cake, or surprising combinations of coffee, red beans and wine. “When you pop these desserts into your mouth, not only do you get three flavors blossoming on your taste buds in sequence, but you also get to enjoy the five flavors in the permutation and combination while blending them all together masterfully.” This is a perfect reflection of the store's name “Assemblage” which means “to put together” or “to assemble” in French.

Kakimoto has his own thoughts about food, such as the future of food, and various issues ranging from food shortages to environmental damage. “Global warming is expected to continue, and the weather will get worse in the future. As a result, the amount of soil to grow crops will decrease. If we can make vegetables more flavorful, we will be able to enjoy richer food in the future.”

With this in mind, Kakimoto's creations combining vegetables and herbs with chocolate were highly praised. Among them, the “hand-rolled snacks,” which combine white chocolate with rice, seaweed, matcha and other ingredients unique to Japan, have been highly acclaimed. “I wanted to make something delicious that no one had ever tasted before, but that touched everyone.” Kakimoto admits.

“I aim for the world, and I wholeheartedly join my predecessors in trial and error. I put my heart into each ingredient one by one, thinking about what is delicious. It was then that I realized that deliciousness is more than just flavor. I realized it was the richness of aroma and texture that each ingredient had. By combining ingredients, the aromas and textures of each ingredient stand out and the flavors become richer.” Perhaps it is by following such an attitude of respect for ingredients and flavors that Ko Hiroshi Kakimoto has sculpted his world of chocolate art bit by bit with an artisan-like spirit.

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