Feel happy with Gateau Valle's sweets! ToinTown 's fairy-tale garden, and if you open the door...

``Gateau Valet'' attracts many customers from outside the prefecture, such as Aichi Prefecture and Shiga Prefecture, as well as the local ToinTown.

The French word for cake or Western confectionery is ``gateau'', and ``vallee'' comes from owner-chef Tanizaki's ``tani''.

It is located a little back from the main road, and the surrounding area is surrounded by a quiet atmosphere.

The parking lot is large and can accommodate more than ten cars.

From the parking lot to the store, it has a fairy-tale-like structure that makes you feel like you're walking through the streets of Provence in southern France.

The stone pavement, the piles of bricks, the seasonal flowers, the thick trees...it just grabbed my heart!

With every step I take, I can feel my excitement rising.

Yuichi Hotta is the head of manufacturing at the main store. After joining the store after graduating from high school, he has been diligently making cakes for 18 years and has earned the deep trust of the owner and his wife.

``The appeal of this job is that you can directly feel the reactions of customers.It's like being able to create happiness and joy...I've loved arts and crafts since I was young, and the atmosphere of the manufacturing site was something I loved. I think it's a good fit,'' he said.

A showcase lined with decorative sweets that can be said to be the face of the store. After all, it's the first thing that catches your eye.

There are approximately 35 types of petit gateaus, including ones made with plenty of seasonal fruits, as well as roll cakes, decorated cakes, and many more. Apparently there are many.

We also have a wide variety of easy-to-eat baked goods such as cookies, sables, butter castella, and pound cake.

Each wrapping and package has its own unique taste, and it's fun just looking at them!

It would also be a great gift as a small gift.

"Always maintain a certain level of quality. This is what I pay the most attention to. We have to make sure that there are no variations even if different people make the products," says Mr. Hotta.

Making Western sweets is the ultimate handiwork. If the condition of the ingredients, the method of mixing, or the physical condition of the person making the product deteriorates even slightly, the taste and shape can easily change.

How can we maintain this delicate balance? This is a scene where Mr. Hotta's ability to direct the staff as the manufacturing manager will be put to the test.

``Tart Fruit'' (No. 6, 3,403 yen/excluding tax) is an almond tart topped with custard cream and stuffed with colorful fruits.

To purchase, reservations must be made at least one day in advance.

These sweets truly embody the owner Tanizaki's motto: ``Beautiful color, delicious aroma, fun texture, and soothing to the soul.''

From the top: "Phrase Banane" (550 yen/tax included). Strawberry cream and banana sandwiched between fluffy sponges.

"Savarin Orange" (510 yen/tax included) is a traditional French confectionery made by soaking savarin in Western liquor syrup and placing brûlée on the base.

``Supreme Vanille'' (500 yen/tax included) is characterized by the bitter taste created by the chocolate mousse and the bagnille mousse, and the shape of a teardrop.

All of them are popular sweets, so it might be a good idea to try them and compare.

A cafe space where you can enjoy your favorite sweets while looking out at the garden, which changes its look each season.

In addition to the dine-in limited menu, you can also select cakes displayed in the store's showcase and pair them with a drink.

There are also great set menus where certain cakes come with ice cream and fruit.

Gateauvallee-style mille-feuille (610 yen/excluding tax). A popular menu item that can only be eaten at eat-in.

On top of vanilla ice cream, bright-looking strawberries and plenty of custard cream are topped with crispy puff pastry!

The enchanting sweets tower is completed.

Gateau Valley-style shortcake (564 yen/excluding tax) is also available for eat-in only.

Fluffy baked chiffon cake, fresh fruits such as strawberries and bananas, and plenty of whipped cream!

This is a dish that is guaranteed to make you feel happy.

This is the first time the couple has used a cafe space, having only been ordering takeout.

``I didn't know that the cafe had a special menu, but it's so cute it's almost a waste to eat it,'' they said with big smiles.

``It's good to enjoy it slowly like this once in a while,'' he said with satisfaction.

Toin Roman (2,200 yen for 10 pieces, 3,200 yen for 15 pieces./both tax included).

In addition to containing rice flour made in ToinTown, these sweets are full of local love, with the bags and packaging also featuring works created by artists from ToinTown.

As a famous confection representing ToinTown, it has become increasingly well-known and is used as souvenirs, and you can clearly sense the owner's passion for ``I hope it will revitalize ToinTown.''

``Inabe no Mori'' is a slightly salty busse that is perfect for tea.

There are two types of cream inside: cheese flavor, which is a mixture of cheese and butter, and Ogura butter flavor.

A set of 3 cheeses and 3 Ogura pieces is 1,340 yen/(tax included).

The set of 6 cheeses and 6 Ogura pieces is reasonably priced at 2,680 yen (tax included).

Gadot Valle Roll (1,000 yen/excluding tax) is literally the signature sweet with the store's name on it.

The exquisite harmony created by moist, fluffy spongy dough and rich genuine fresh cream!

Although it has a simple taste, it is a long-selling product with many loyal fans who have continued to purchase it since its establishment.

This shoe croquette (210 yen/excluding tax) is also consistently popular.

Crispy choux pastry is filled with custard cream. There are vanilla beans inside.

When I put it in my mouth, it had a nostalgic sweetness that could be said to be the origin of sweets, and I felt a sense of comfort.

The chocolate collection is like looking into a jewelry box. For 170 yen to 300 yen (tax included) each, you can purchase 16 types of chocolate throughout the year, regardless of the season.

All of our chocolates are handmade from scratch, and we also order ingredients from Belgium and France, and we take ample time to prepare them.

Once completed, we strive to maintain quality by placing the pieces in a showcase set at 18℃ and thoroughly controlling the temperature.

``It sometimes takes four to five days to make one chocolate,'' says Mr. Hotta.

“I probably make around 10,000 pieces a year just by myself,” Sarari says. It seems that he personally has a strong attachment to chocolate.

``After all the on-site experience, the last thing I learned was chocolate.''

She said that she felt that the owner recognized her and said, ``I'm now at a level where I can teach her.''

It seems simple but is difficult. Chocolat is an item that greatly stimulates Mr. Hotta's craftsmanship.

You can also enjoy sweets on the garden terrace on a sunny day while being surrounded by sunlight.

A Jurado shop will also open in the early summer season.

The store and garden are scheduled to be renovated between May and June 2020, and while the current image will remain the same, it will be reborn to be even more attractive.

I can't wait to see what it will look like!

"We want to actively change out our products so that our customers don't get bored. We also want to develop new sweets that will give them a taste of what's in season." said Mr. Hotta.

In addition to the traditional cakes that are made with a lot of effort, they also want to offer a well-balanced lineup of baked goods that can be easily eaten at home.

Why not immerse yourself in a happy mood with the sweets of Gateau Vallee, where owner Tanizaki's belief that ``the most important thing when making sweets is to make them with sincerity'' can be felt everywhere.

[Okashi shop Gateau Valle]

Address: 2946 Anata, ToinTown ano

TEL:0594-76-5944

Business hours: 10:00-19:00

Closed: Wednesdays (subject to change depending on holidays and events)

Access: Approximately 5 minutes by car from Kuwana IC on the Higashi-Meihan Expressway

Official URL: http://www.gateauvallee.com/

*Information as of January 2020. Prices and other information may have changed, so please check with your contact information before making your trip.