Makoto Arami of Ami Patisserie named La Liste’s Pastry Talent of the Year 2025

Singapore-based chef Makoto Arami of Ami Patisserie has been named as one the up-and-coming talents in the pastry world by La Liste, a Paris-based food and travel guide, which is known for its Top 1,000 Restaurants list. 

The Japanese chef shares the Pastry Talent of the Year honour, which recognises promising pastry chefs in bakeries, tea rooms and dessert restaurants around the world, with four other chefs. Arami is the only chef from Asia to receive the accolade, with the other recipients hailing from hotels and independent patisseries from London, Paris, Los Angeles and Dubai. 

The award is part of La Liste’s World’s Best Pastry Shop Selection, which was announced on 16 June. The pastry selection, which was introduced in 2022, spans 11 awards that honour 36 pastry chefs and owners across 18 countries. The special award category for pastry by La Liste alludes to the growing prominence of pastry and desserts in the gastronomy world.

Ami Patisserie, which opened its bricks-and-mortar store in Scotts Road in late 2023, is known for its pastry-led tasting menu. La Liste has summed up the concept as “Japanese technique meets Parisian codes in a refined pastry destination”. 

Receiving the award in an award ceremony in Paris, Arami says: “This recognition means more than I can express — it embodies not just my own journey, but the dedication and spirit of the entire pastry and service team at Ami Patisserie. It reaffirms our commitment to crafting every creation and experience with utmost sincerity. I follow in the footsteps of my grandfather and father, who inspired my love for the craft and instilled in me the belief that true happiness is found in the simple joy of guests enjoying our pastries.”

Ami serves exquisite sweet and savoury courses of French-style pastry that incorporate seasonal Japanese fruit and flavours in an intimate eight-seater dining room. 

Its recent Spring menu includes Hokkaido crab tartelette that has crab cradled in filo pastry tart with fromage blanc cream, Aomori green apple and Amela tomato, and Strawberry Sakura, his take on Sakura rice mochi with Beni Hoppe strawberries from Shizuoka over a creamy sakura rice pudding made with Omi rice from Shiga, Arami’s hometown. 

The 36-year-old hails from a family with a deep pastry heritage — his grandfather was a wagashi specialist while his father ran a Western-style Japanese confectionery. Arami honed his craft at Beige Alain Ducasse and Restaurant Ryuzu in Tokyo and Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York and Tokyo before moving to Singapore, where he worked in pastry roles at Marina Bay Sands and Beni, a now-defunct French-Japanese restaurant. 

Other key winners in La Liste’s World’s Best Pastry Shop Selection include French pastry chef Maxime Frederic, who was named World’s Most Creative Pastry Chef. He helms the pastry section at Cheval Blanc Paris and Le Chocolat Maxime Frederic by Louis Vuitton, which opened in Singapore last year. The World’s Best Pastry Shop went to Claridge’s Artsspace Cafe in London, while the World’s Best Afternoon Tea Award saw a tie between The Butterfly Room in Rosewood Hong Kong and The Gouter by Jessica Prealpato in Paris. 

Other award categories include Pastry Ethical & Sustainability Award, Pastry Artisan and Authenticity Award, and Pastry Innovation. Homegrown pastry chef Janice Wong received the Pastry Innovation award last year. 

Hélène Pietrini, Managing Director of La Liste says, “Pastry is now a true force of transformation, led by a new generation of talents — often women — who are reinventing formats, narratives, and experiences. With these special awards and a dedicated forum, we reaffirm our commitment to a vibrant and fast-evolving sector, rich in cultural exchange and future potential. It is also a tribute to those who, every day, redefine taste and hospitality.”

According to La Liste, 60 percent of the awardees of this year’s pastry awards are women. 

Unlike its annual Top 1,000 Restaurants list, which is an algorithm-based aggregation of food information from close to 1,100 sources, La Liste’s special awards, which include the pastry selection, takes an “editorial approach” to selecting talents in the food and beverage field.

La Liste, which turns 10 this year, will announce its Top 1,000 Restaurants list and the 2026 Special Awards on November 24 in Paris.