Jeanette Aw opening 3 chocolate pop-up shops in Japan, including Tokyo

Actress Jeanette Aw’s patisserie Once Upon A Time is going places.

In January, the 44-year-old will open pop-up booths of her patisserie in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.

The pop-ups, which will be held in department stores in the three cities, will boast a different concept from her Singapore shop, focusing on chocolate treats like bonbons and pastries. Fans can also expect her much-raved-about WTF (What The Fudge) brownies.

“I’m timing it for the Valentine’s Day chocolate fairs in Japan, which is quite a huge thing over there. The chocolate fairs run over a one-month period (from mid-Jan to Feb 14), and they are held (in malls) all over Japan. Famous chocolate patisseries will also have booths at the fair,” Jeanette told 8days.sg.

THE POP-UP SHOPS HAVE BEEN A COUPLE OF YEARS IN THE WORKS

The idea to open shop in Japan came about quite organically.

“I was just having a conversation with my Japanese friends (and business partners) about three years ago and they asked me what I thought about bringing my brand over to Japan. That’s how we came together to start preparation for this,” she shared, adding that there are no plans to open a permanent store just yet. 

For the past few months, Jeanette has been R&D-ing recipes for the pop-ups including Japan exclusives like bonbons and a new rendition of her brownies.

“I am working very closely with a Japanese pastry chef there. After I develop a recipe, I send it over together with the product and he will work on replicating it. I fly over for food tastings to make sure it’s as close to what I’ve created. He’s a fantastic chef and I’m so happy with what he’s done so far. The recipe and product are as close to what I like them to be,” said Jeanette.

Besides the treats, she is also very involved in other aspects like packaging and marketing materials, which will be designed by Japanese graphic designer Naonori Yago.

“I’ve personally met with all the designers and I will also be there for the setup and eventual launch,” she shared.

This story was originally published in 8Days.