This month, we get better acquainted with our May 2023 site artist, Chikako Fujii, aka Atelier Chez Malo (aka @CHIKAKO.F). As we learned in her earlier forum introduction, Chikako was born in Japan and currently lives in South Korea with her husband. I was so very lucky to meet Chikako back in 2018 when Keiko Campbell of Sugar Sugar brought me to Japan to teach a series of cookie classes (which, BTW, was one of my most memorable trips ever!) Chikako says she was exhausted after her course with me, which is no surprise as they were very long days! Nevertheless, I somehow managed to ignite the cookie decorating fire in her, and, ever since, she’s been decorating with a passion, cultivating her own distinctive style along the way. If I had to characterize Chikako’s style, I’d call it “romantic vintage”, marked as it often is by dreamy florals and soft, muted colors. To see what I mean, check our Chikako’s Cookie Connection portfolio or simply read on – you’ll see many cookies in her signature style sprinkled throughout this interview. So, without further ado, let’s “meet” Chikako, shall we?!
JMU: Hi, Chikako! It’s so wonderful to be talking with you today. First, I thank you for so patiently waiting for these interview questions and for then translating them into Japanese and back into English again. It’s been a zany spring full of travel for me, but I am now settling into a slightly calmer summer – yay! Speaking of travel . . . as we were planning this interview, I discovered you were on an extended trip! Where did you go and for how long, and were cookies involved in any way? 😊
CF: Hi, thank you for this opportunity. I feel very honored to be interviewed for such a wonderful community.
Yes, my family and I were in Portugal when I received your message. We traveled around Portugal and Italy for about a month, starting at the end of April. It was so refreshing for us to visit the places there, and they gave me plenty of inspiration for my iced cookie making.
JMU: Ooh, I am so jealous! What a wonderful trip! Let’s back up now to 2017 or 2018 and talk about your cookie decorating journey. What or who first piqued your interest in cookie decorating and, aside from taking my course in Japan, what events or people shaped your cookie journey and helped to make you the cookie decorator you are today?
CF: I got interested in making iced cookies when I participated in a one-day lesson that my friend recommended to me. I always liked making sweets because it was my mother's hobby, but I never knew anything about iced cookies before that lesson. At the lesson, everything was new, and decorating cookies with icing was so interesting to me. I remember myself getting so into it!
I then decided to get the Diploma of Distinction in iced cookies at Keiko Campbell’s Sugar Sugar, which has an outstanding reputation for their classes. They encouraged me to take part in your classes. They were so inspiring, and I got to create a lot of art with the support of Keiko.
JMU: I am so glad you attended my course and that it had such an influence on you. It was truly one of my best teaching experiences, thanks to Keiko and my wonderful students! (I’ve posted a few photos of those classes below, just so readers can better appreciate what we shared together!)
Julia's Host in Japan, the Lovely Keiko Campbell | Photo Courtesy of Julia
View of Julia's and Chikako's Classroom | Photo Courtesy of Julia
Students' 3-D Baby Cradle Projects | Photo Courtesy of Julia
Chikako's Signed Certificate of Completion from Julia | Photo Courtesy of Julia
I was so surprised to find that I had saved the photo directly above! What a coincidence that I had just signed your class certificate when I took that photo! 
Anyway, enough of my trip down memory lane - back to the present! Can you please tell us more about your current cookie life? For instance, is cookie decorating a hobby or a business for you? Do you sell your cookies or teach classes, or do both? Or do you participate in cookies in some other way? And why have you chosen to participate this way? In other words, please describe your cookie “business”.
CF: I started decorating cookies as a hobby, but, one day, I thought I wanted to spread the joy of iced cookie-making to as many people as possible, so I decided to start teaching. I offer one-day lessons and a diploma course with the support of Keiko at Sugar Sugar. And, since 2021, I’ve owned an atelier to sell my cookies.
JMU: Congratulations on your expansion into selling cookies! As a corollary to my last question, is cookie decorating your sole occupation, or do you also have another job? If so, what is it and how do you juggle the various things that you do?
CF: It is my full-time job, but I am also a mother of a 12-year-old daughter. So those two things (cookies and child-raising!) are what I do every day.
JMU: Can you describe your typical “cookie week”? That is, approximately how much time each week do you spend on your various cookie activities? How many hours per week do you work on cookies, and how many cookies do you make each week?
CF: I used to spend all of my time making cookies. Due to opening the atelier to sell cookies, I have found that my time dedicated to cookie art has decreased significantly. Currently, I am focused on being an instructor and seller, and depending on the orders and lessons each week, I spend about five to six hours a day making cookies.
JMU: You are clearly one busy cookier who is juggling a lot! As I noted in the intro, you have a very recognizable style that often involves soft colors and romantic flowers, lace, and other details. How (or why) did you gravitate toward this style, and what tips would you give to others about how to develop a distinctive style?
CF: I am interested in shabby chic, antique interior design, and architecture. A lot of my inspiration comes from these things that I like or am longing for. Also, I try to express my own view of the world without being trapped by the shape of cookie molds or stereotypes. So my best tips for developing a unique style are to concentrate on what you like or love, and to stay away from stereotypes or expected designs and techniques. Doing these things helped me to create my style, and I believe they’ll also help others.
JMU: Great advice! Which cookie decorating technique is your favorite, and why? And what tips would you give to beginners for mastering that technique?
CF: I can’t say I have one favorite technique. But I do like to use techniques that express the texture of a material, such as the crackle effect, the wood effect, and dusting. To master these techniques, study the object you want to create, and touch the object if possible. Basically, learn as much as you can about that object. All of this knowledge will help you to better recreate your subject in icing and cookie dough!
JMU: Your cookie above provides a great example of how you like to work with various textures. So lovely!
Now for the converse of the above question . . . What’s your “cookie kryptonite” or Achilles’ heel in cookie decorating? That is, which technique or techniques are most challenging for you? And how, if at all, are you taking steps to turn these challenges into strengths?
CF: I get very nervous when I work on pressure-piping. I design each cookie very systematically, determine the needed consistencies of icing in detail, and then take my time piping, as if I am experimenting.
JMU: I wonder if we all don’t do that – pressure-piping can be so precise; it really needs extra attention! Let’s turn to cookie decorating in South Korea in more general terms. How would you characterize the cookie culture in South Korea? Is interest in cookie decorating growing (or waning) there?
CF: Although the South Korean iced cookie market is not very active, cookie decorating has gradually been getting recognized over the last few years, and I think that interest is increasing.
JMU: What cookie decorating styles or techniques are most popular in South Korea, and what cookie decorating trends, if any, do you observe?
CF: In South Korea, cookies decorated with royal icing using the pressure-piping technique , particularly in flower motifs, are generally preferred. I often see cookies finished with dotted borders as well. Techniques with fondant, lace patterns, and other effects are not often used. I never really observe the trends, so I can’t say what techniques are getting more popular.
JMU: How would you say cookie decorating in South Korea differs relative to cookie decorating in the United States? And why do you think those differences exist?
CF: It has only been a few years since iced cookies began to be recognized in South Korea, and the concept and culture of cookies are different than those in the United States, so cookie decorating has not become popular yet. However, with the spread of SNS (social networking services), iced cookie designs seem to be getting more visibility.
JMU: If you could give just one tip to those starting out in cookie decorating to make their cookie lives more enjoyable, what would that tip be, and why?
CF: I think it's good to work on things that one is good at and interested in, without being bound by stereotypes or expectations. This approach can continue to motivate a cookie decorator for a long time.
JMU: Yes, I so agree with your last statement! And, my usual parting question: How, if at all, do you expect or want your cookie decorating activity to change over the next couple of years? Do you intend to get into any new cookie-related activities, or to do more or less of any activities that you are already doing, and why?
CF: Selling iced cookies has been a very valuable experience, but, at the same time, I strongly feel that I want my cookies to be art pieces where I can express what I love. From now on, I'm planning to shift from selling to expressing.
JMU: I applaud you for being true to your heart, and I wish you well in your transition back to full-time cookie artistry! Thanks again for taking the time to share a “slice” of your cookie world with everyone here on Cookie Connection. It was a joy to see how your cookie decorating has advanced since we first met in Japan.
To learn more about Chikako's work, please visit her Cookie Connection portfolio and Instagram page.
Cookie photo credits: Chikako Fujii
Japan class photo credits: Julia M. Usher
Cookier Close-ups is the place on Cookie Connection where we celebrate the change-makers of the cookie decorating world. Whether forging new enterprises, inventing novel decorating techniques, or consistently charming us with their cookie decorating prowess, each of our featured thought leaders has redefined in his/her distinctive way how we interact, create, or otherwise do business here in cookie space!
If there are other cookiers you'd really like to get to know, please post requests in this forum. We'll do our best to round them up for an upcoming Cookier Close-up! Thanks!
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