In Singapore’s top fine dining kitchens, a new wave of female pastry chefs is redefining dessert — not as a sweet finale, but as a precise, personal expression of craft and creativity.
Text by: Jocelyn Tan
A new generation of female chefs in Singapore is approaching dessert not as an afterthought, but as a space for clarity, control, and creative intent. Whether shaped by classical French training, Japanese sensibilities, or local childhood memories, these plated desserts reflect a deep respect for process — and a personal point of view. We meet three chefs making their mark in top fine dining restaurants in Singapore.
Louisa Lim, 33, HEAD PASTRY CHEF, ODETTE
Louisa Lim isn’t just redefining the final course, she’s giving it a new language altogether. As head pastry chef at three-Michelin-starred Odette and Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2023 (Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards), she’s known for creating desserts that are conceptually elegant yet emotionally resonant.
Her signature creation, The Blanc, is a study in restraint. “The Blanc is one of my favourites,” she says. “Inspired by the shade white, it’s a delicate, layered, feminine dessert made with amazake, Hokkaido milk, and Vanuatu vanilla.” The final touch? “We recently added white tuile for a three-dimensional effect, and finish it with what I call ‘Hokkaido milk snow’ or dehydrated Hokkaido milk, gently dusted over the dessert like freshly fallen snow.”
Louisa’s journey into the pastry world began unexpectedly. “During my university studies, a fondant cake sparked my interest and curiosity in baking. The beauty and intricacies of making a fondant got me curious and I ended up taking many classes on cake decoration. Soon after, I took a leap of faith and signed up for a diploma in French pastry at Le Cordon Bleu Paris,” she shares.
What followed was a formative stint in France, where she worked her way from intern to pastry commis in Michelin-starred kitchens. “While at Apicius (Paris), I had the opportunity as pastry demi chef de partie to conceptualise dessert menus with the guidance of Chef Jerome Chaucesse and Chef Marc Lecomte,” she says. “They were the ones who truly passed down the craft, sharing the techniques and nuances that shaped my foundation in pâtisserie.”
In 2019, she returned to Singapore and joined Odette, where she now oversees the pastry section and contributes to the bread programmes. “The sourdough bread at Odette is made with flour from Les Moulins d’Antoine, a special blend of the finest wheat and rye varieties produced in Cantal (Chef Julien Royer’s hometown),” she points out.
Her collaboration with Chef Julien is close-knit and iterative. “Chef Julien will usually speak to me about a certain produce or a vision, and I take it from there. I try to imagine what people will want to eat at the end of the meal, and I like to keep things interesting by injecting an unexpected element to a dessert. I play a lot with textures as well, and think about taste first before thinking about the presentation of the dish.”
Being a young woman in fine dining kitchens hasn’t always been easy. “It was daunting at first, especially since I didn’t yet speak much French and was often the only female in the kitchen,” she recalls. “I put my head down and focus on my craft, and when you put in the hours and continuously learn, you will eventually find your confidence and style. As a woman, you have to learn to stand steadfast in
your passion.”
Beyond fine dining, her tastes are simple. “Some of my favourite desserts are chiffon and Basque cheesecakes, which I usually bake at home whenever I crave them.” But she has plans for a local reinterpretation. “I’d love to create my own take on Singapore’s iconic ice kachang. It’s such a light and refreshing dessert, and I love how playful the textures are — there’s the crunch of the ice, that chewy sago, all mixed together with a creamy coconut sauce. The flavours like coconut, yam, sweet potato are comforting yet familiar, and I think they resonate with both the Eastern and Western tastes very naturally.”
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Jeanette Ow, 42, PASTRY DIRECTOR, SOMMA & FICO
Before Jeanette Ow found her calling in pastry, she was working in forensic accounting. “Growing up in a typical Singaporean Chinese household where career stability was considered the priority over passion, pastry was seen only as a hobby,” she recalls. But everything changed when she decided to leave the numbers behind. “My heart led me to Sydney, where I attended Le Cordon Bleu, and I haven’t looked back since.” Jeanette now heads the pastry programme at Somma and Fico, where her philosophy centres on elegance, restraint, and natural flavour. “I’d say my style is simple yet elegant. For me, it’s always been about creating something that feels both familiar and not in excess. But rather, the restraint to allow natural flavours to shine. It’s about the balance of flavours as it is about creativity.”
That philosophy is best embodied in one of her most striking dishes: a palate cleanser from Somma’s Solterra Menu. “That would be our Carnaroli Amazake – Peas – Mint Vinaigrette. The inspiration for that particular dish was truly about making the desserts as simple as possible, yet bringing out the best flavours in each ingredient,” she explains. “We take Carnaroli rice, the ‘king of rice’ from Italy, and through fermentation, transform it into a silky, naturally sweet amazake. It’s an elegant nod to Japanese traditions, balancing that sweetness with the crisp bite of incredibly delicate teardrop peas, which we meticulously harvest at dawn. A refreshing mint and lemon vinaigrette completes it.”
Fermentation, she says, is her current obsession. “Fermentation intrigues me as the ability to enhance the flavour of the raw ingredient. Not the fact that it is trending but the reason that fermentation together with patience and nature’s way of work, creates complex, deep, tangy flavours on its own.” Her dream dessert to reinterpret? “Cheng tng. I’ve always loved longans, and I like the lightness and ease of the dish. I’d love to reimagine it in a way that fits into Somma’s language — true luxury in simplicity and comfort, yet playful.”
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Soh Hui Shan, 29, JUNIOR PASTRY SOUS CHEF, WAKUDA
At Wakuda, Soh Hui Shan works under the direction of Tetsuya Wakuda, one of the world’s most celebrated chefs, learning the rigour and rhythm that define Marina Bay Sands and its restaurants. The pastry chef plays a vital role in crafting and executing the restaurant’s high- concept pastry creations.
Her passion for pastry is shaped by a love of Japanese flavours like yuzu, kinako, matcha, and the balance and restraint they embody. One dessert she’s especially excited about right now is their upcoming Cheesecake Tart with Japanese Rice Paper. “It is going to be introduced as a limited seasonal item, created exclusively for our annual Sands for Singapore Charity Festival. This tart is a delicate reimagination of the signature Basque cheesecake, presented in a crisp, buttery tart shell that adds a light crunch to contrast the smooth, creamy filling. I’ve crowned it with a lotus-shaped Japanese rice paper, a symbol of purity and renewal, reflecting Wakuda’s culinary philosophy.”
Her favourite local dessert is the tutu kueh, which she says she has a soft spot for. “It is also nostalgic for me – simple, comforting, and full of childhood memories. There’s something so pure about its texture and flavours, especially when it’s freshly steamed and filled with ground peanuts or coconut.” She also mentions that she has, in fact, reinterpreted it using espuma to recreate the lightness of the steamed rice flour. It was served as a cold soufflé, delicate and airy, but with the same comforting flavour profile. “I’d love to bring something like that to Wakuda; a modern take on a heritage dessert that feels familiar to local diners but surprises them in texture, temperature, and presentation. It’s a way of honouring where I come from, while still pushing the boundaries of what dessert can be in a contemporary Japanese fine-dining context.”
Still early in her career, Hui Shan sees every day as a step forward. The techniques she’s learning now will one day serve her when she begins to shape a dessert language of her own.