Talk to Chef Nabila Yoestino for a moment and you'll instantly feel how much she loves what she does. Here we are, finally having a chance to sit down and spend the whole afternoon with the Pastry Chef of BIKO’s Acta Brasserie & Fūjin Izakaya while waiting for Iftar to come, talking about how she found her path and the quiet joy of working with sugar, spice and everything nice.
The conversation starts with us asking her to describe herself, and it follows with an effortless answer: “I’d say I’m someone who’s deeply in love with plated desserts.” She told us why she has a soft spot for it from the start, telling us she sees these creations as a medium for expression rather than just food. “I saw a plate like I saw a canvas. I guess I’ve always had that artistic side in me as I grew up in a family of creatives,” says her with a little grin that led us to want to know her beyond.
“So, before pastry, what was your childhood like growing up?”
It turns out that Chef Nabila was surrounded by art from a young age. With a family full of filmmakers and actors, it was natural for her to be exposed to that world early on and even actually try it for a little while. “My dad used to ask me to audition or stand in front of the camera when I was still in school,” she laughed. “I even worked as an Assistant Producer at Karnos Film for a year, joined some shoots and helped my brother freelance too!”
She took time to figure out her career choice, which made her notice something. “Acting and production were part of my childhood, but I wanted something more personal, something I could really pour myself into,” she reflects. The long process, the waiting game, the huge teams—it comes out that those things aren't her cup of tea. “I figured out I enjoy creating things that people can enjoy right away. That’s what I found in pastry.”
“Why baking over cooking? Was it something you picked up at home?”
She told us about where her first encounter with sweets came from. “My mom used to make nastar and sell them to close friends and family. I didn’t help much, but I liked watching her work—learning what kinds of ingredients there were, how to shape them, how much effort it took.” She even quoted a short line from her mother that made her be her right now: “I like to bake. What about you? What do you like?” That simple question lingered in her mind and made her realize, “Yeah, I do like pastry too,“ then picked the pastry path for her career.
“What do you love most about your job?”
She answered the question with no hesitation. “I love that I get to be creative every day. Honestly, I feel so lucky that my job is something I genuinely enjoy—I actually look forward to going to work every day (laughs). Even with the juggling act of being a full-time pastry chef and a mom, baking always brings me back to my happy place. It’s my kind of therapy.” We all know that baking takes patience and calmness. And when it comes, she uses that to reflect and learn by heart. “I found out that desserts can be made as playful as possible, and at the same time, I also learned to balance my ego. I used to want every creation to be out of the box, but now I think more about making something people will actually enjoy. Visually pleasing to look at but even better to taste.“
“What comes to your mind when making new creations?”
“Flavor. Texture. Presentation. I love using flavors that people are already familiar with but presenting them in a different way. Take Acta Brasserie's Matcha Berry Chiffon for example. It's actually inspired by my favorite drink. I took that flavor memory and turned it into something unexpected: dried strawberry to get the crisp and matcha chiffon to keep it light and simple. Or my recent creation for the Ramadan hamper, Beef Cheek Semur Pie. The flavor feels nostalgic, like a festive Eid meal, but the form is totally different.” It clicked when she explained that. “I enjoy playing with textures in a dish—crumble, gel, sauce. That way, every spoonful feels different. Plated desserts give you room to explore their own way of eating it. I think that makes it so fun to work with.”
“You've also started making content about your work. How did that come about?”
She responded with a laugh. “At first, I just documented things for myself cause I was pretty shy about sharing my life online. But one day, I was scrolling through TikTok looking for inspiration and thought—why not try? From then on, I challenged myself to start making content of my day-to-day in the kitchen. Eventually, it became a platform where I could answer questions and share insights—and surprisingly, it’s grown into something much bigger than I expected.” Her voice now reaches a wider audience, and the recognition follows. She won the first-ever Pastry Chef of the Year at the Golden Swirl Awards 2024 by Indonesia Dessert Week and is now part of the Media & Communication division of the Indonesian Pastry Bakery Society.
At the heart of it all, Chef Nabila stays grounded by the values she holds close to: humility, teamwork and intention. “I try to always put good energy into what I do,” she said. “When you do things with heart, it shows. And when you work with people who support each other, you grow together.”
Maybe that’s what makes her creations feel so special. More than just plated sweets, it reflects everything she believes in.
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