Chika Hanyu

Chef Chika Hanyu is originally from Tokyo, Japan.  Driven by her ambition to make it to the land of opportunities in America, she moved to Las Vegas at the age of 18. She attended college in UNLV and decided one day to take pastry classes for the heck of it.  She quickly discovered that pastry making was fun and it stoked a curiosity in her to learn more about the chemistry behind the process as well as the deep history of pastries in various cultures. 

She graduated in 2006 with a major in Culinary Arts Management, then her career as a pastry chef officially kicked off. After working in Las Vegas, Chika decided to join the Norwegian Cruise Line. She started as a pastry cook then quickly rose to the rank of Assistant Chief Pastry in just over a year and was selected to join the NCL Epic inauguration team. In her elevated role, she helped run a big scale and complex operation of mass producing pastries to feed ~6,000 guests and crew.  Her experience working in the cruise line not only honed her management and pastry skills – it also gave her invaluable access to various pastries and cultures around the world.

After finishing her contract at NCL, Chika decided to pursue her dream of going to France to learn more about their pastries and culture. Her desire for learning drove her to go door to door in various local pastry shops asking for a job in the kitchen.  She considers herself very fortunate to have been able to travel and work in France and enjoy the various pastries the country has to offer.  It was also during her travels there that she found her love for authentic chocolate bonbons and working with chocolate.

Her newfound passion for chocolate led her back to America, this time working at Mariebelle, an artisanal chocolate shop based in New York with stores in various locations in Japan. In over a year, she became Executive Chef at Mariebelle where she worked for 7 years handling production and menu development. 

Chika’s passion enabled her to experience the best that the culinary world has to offer.  She enjoys good food and loves spending time in the kitchen cooking and baking for her family and friends. Her goal is to give joy and happiness by sharing her knowledge and experiences through her hand crafted chocolates and pastries.