Spotlight on: Rosio Sanchez

epicure: Having trained at wd-50 in New York City, did you find working at Noma to be a different experience?
Rosio Sanchez: I adopted a lot of thought processes from Alex Stupak, wd-50’s pastry chef. It was all about technique-driven methods, using different means to get to the same end. Take ice cream for example, Stupak would continually find new ways to push the bar with stabilisers, tweaking minute to better an end-product. Often we would think about technique before product. At Noma, it is just the opposite. Things here are product-driven based on our philosophy for fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. Less is more here: we pick one or two ingredients then figure out the simplest ways to make them shine.

What is your take on Singapore's pastry scene after your experience at the WGS? Is dessert just an afterthought or is there room for elevating it to a real art?
No I don’t believe desserts here are just an afterthought. The Singapore pastry scene is actually quite diverse and interesting. Not only are local chefs like Janice Wong presenting desserts with a progressive interpretation, the presence of foreign talent such as Daniel Texter at Les Amis have added new dimensions to the scene.

How would you compare the pastry scene in America and Europe?
I see surprising updates on classics in Europe: a sorbet of blood orange with pickled endive and soil of olives at Le Chateaubriand for example. I think pastry chefs in Europe have edgier creations which fall under a new format but when I think of America, bananas, cocoa and vanilla ice creams come to mind. I don’t think you would find many vegetables in your dessert in the States, you’re likely to tread more familiar ground.

With Noma's number one ranking on the World's Best Restaurant's list, is there more pressure now to create newer, bolder signatures?
No, the pressure is still the same as when I first started. We were ranked third on the S.Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurants list then but we’ve always had the same mentality of aiming to please. Often, René (chef and co-owner) and I will lock ourselves in a lab and we will execute a dish close to 100 times. Some restaurants put something on a menu and fine tune as they go along but if it’s on the menu at Noma, you can be sure it has been perfected.

Tell us more about the inspiration behind your creations.
So much of why people come to Noma is because of where we are in the world: in the midst of some amazing local produce. We’ll go foraging and I will be inspired by wild strawberries sitting on a bed of hay, to whip up a hay-infused parfait with the fruit in chamomile broth and lemon balm. Danish dairy is pretty unbeatable so I try and showcase their creamy flavours by making milk ice cream with a birch syrup centre, or use caramelised brown cheese in a beetroot granita.

3 things you didn’t know about Rosio Sanchez:

The dish I am most proud of:
The winter version of our bitters dessert: whey discs, bitters syrup, milk crumbs, sorrel and dots of dill oil.

My favourite ingredient:
Salt. Even though desserts are meant to be sweet, a small pinch can draw out incredible flavours from ingredients like fruit and chocolate.

If I could have any dessert right now, it would be:
A warm chocolate croissant.