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2024-05-22
Chen Shih-Lin
PRESENTER
Founder of ISM-style sweets
Chen Shih-Lin
Chen Shih-Lin, founder of ISM and guest principal cellist of the band Wan Sheng, turned to his favorite path of pastry at the age of 32. He studied culinary arts and baking in Canada and Japan, and from 2013 to 2014, he joined 16-ku, a renowned French pastry shop in Fukuoka, Japan, where he worked and furthered his studies under Japanese pastry master Takao Mikado.
In late 2015, he founded “ISM Pâtisserie” in Tianmu and invited Japanese chef Shinjiro Komatsu to join his dream blueprint. Their philosophy is to avoid showmanship, value the source of ingredients, and let the ingredients speak for themselves.
Q & A
Q: How do you start your day?
I usually get up a little after 4:00 to practice the cello and then exercise. After taking a shower and having a cup of coffee, I think about my to-do list for the day.
Q: Where do you usually spend most of your time?
If I don't have any other plans, I basically spend my time at ISM.
Q: Which restaurant do you visit most often?
I think the “Fuqì Squid Rice Noodles” next door is very good. The soup is wonderfully fresh and sweet, and the squid is also very fresh. Also, when friends from abroad or other parts of Taiwan come to visit me, I take them to “Fang’s Restaurant,” which is very suitable for gatherings. Their freshly made xiaolongbao and spare rib fried rice are both good—it’s basically Tianmu’s Din Tai Fung (hahahaha).
Q: What do you do for leisure after work?
Spacing out (laughs). My work requires a lot of thinking, so after work, I hope to be in a state of doing nothing and let my mind rest.
Q: When you went to Japan at the age of 32 to start learning from scratch, how did you adjust your mindset?
Entering an industry that was completely different from my professional field, as well as experiencing some culture shock when I first arrived in Japan, led me to keep telling myself over these two years, “You’re amazing! You’re brave!” After all, starting from scratch in my thirties is something most people probably would not do, as they would not step outside their comfort zone. Although music and desserts are different fields, the mindset is the same for me: whether it involves hearing or taste, developing expertise requires time to build up.
Q: What advice do you have for people who want to start a business?
“If you enter the kitchen, don’t be afraid of the heat.” We are not traveling on railway tracks; we are building the tracks ourselves, and we do not know which direction they will take. In this era, entrepreneurs will encounter more bottlenecks. Even after putting in more effort, the results may not meet expectations. In terms of mindset, focus on what can be done now, and do your best to find ways to survive while moving a little closer to your goal. Sometimes, taking a step back is not a bad thing either.
Q: What is the latest book you read? Did it give you any insights or leave you with any thoughts after reading it?
Chiang Chen’s “aesthetics of work.” As a workaholic, Chef Chiang is someone I greatly admire for his sense of aesthetics as well. Amid a busy and stressful work environment, he has found a sense of ritual in his life. His ideas about work and how to lead a team are expressed very clearly in the book. I found myself persuaded by him and wanting to give it a try. As for leading my own team, I am still searching for a direction that suits me.
Q: What do you find most interesting or appealing about Taiwan?
Because I am not a foreigner, I may not be able to articulate what attracts me, but whenever I perform abroad, I find myself missing the good things about Taiwan. To me, Taiwan is home—with its familiar language and friends, and as someone from southern Taiwan, I feel an even deeper connection to this land. The most interesting part of traveling is exploring. There is no need to specifically look up restaurants or attractions; simply walking along the streets, randomly entering a restaurant, or discovering an interesting little shop around the corner—these are all delightful surprises.
Q: When staying at a hotel, what do you look forward to the most?
Quiet and clean. I must have stayed in at least 200 hotels during my touring career. Later, I realized that accommodation is about having a peaceful and comfortable space to rest after a busy schedule.
Q: What is your impression of the hotels under the Taipei Hotel Group?
Sunshine and warmth. Before the pandemic, when I couldn’t travel abroad, I stayed at Dandy Hotel - Daan Park Branch. Although the room did not directly overlook Daan Forest Park, it felt very comfortable to me. The personalized card provided upon check-in was another thoughtful detail that made me feel truly warm.
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