Riho Buto of Patisserie Hotaka

Riho Buto
Patisserie Hotaka

Originally from Yamada. When Ms. Buto was a 1st year student at Yamada High School, her family home was destroyed in the disaster. She suffered from serious illnesses and other hardships, but never gave up on her dream of becoming a pastry chef. After graduating, she attended a specialist school in Morioka. Upon her return to Yamada, she began preparing to open her own cake shop, which she opened in December 2016. Her shop specializes in cakes low in sugar and calories, and she’s doing everything herself, from production to sales.

Achieving your childhood dream in your hometown

Ms. Buto has pursued her dream since childhood, despite numerous hardships. She named her shop, “Hotaka”, by taking one character from her own name, and one character from her supportive father.

“I’ve heard that there are lots of people in Yamada with diabetes or other illnesses, and I want those people to be able to eat delicious cakes,” she said. She bakes low-sugar, low-calorie cakes by using a natural sweetener instead of sugar.

 “Despite being low-sugar and low-calorie, they taste as sweet as a normal cake. People tell me they like being able to eat cake without worrying about sugar or calories,” Ms. Buto said with a smile.

Cakes that everyone loves

Ms. Buto gave us her thoughts on Yamada. “Since I came back from Morioka, various shops have been built. They’re going to build Rikuchu-Yamada Station soon, and I think things will keep on changing,” she said.

 She also spoke about her ambitions. “I want to make cakes that people will want to eat throughout their entire lives,” she said. The cake shop, with its roots deep in the community, will go on to be a part of Yamada’s future.