Joanne Chang

Joanne Chang (born in Houston, Texas) is an American chef and restaurant owner. She is the owner of Flour Bakery[1] in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts and James Beard Foundation Award winner for Outstanding Baker, 2016. In announcing the award, Devra First of the Boston Globe wrote that Chang was "on her way to becoming the Susan Lucci of the Beards."[2] She is known for her sticky buns.[3]

Joanne Chang
Born
Joanne Chang

1971 (age 48–49)
Houston, Texas, U.S
NationalityAmerican
OccupationChef, restaurant owner
Spouse(s)Christopher Myers

Early life and education

Chang’s parents were immigrants who met while studying in Houston.[4] She was born in Houston circa 1971.[5] As a child, she grew up in Oklahoma and Texas[4] and enjoyed cooking and baking.[3] Her family consumed a diet of "traditional Chinese cuisine at home" and preferred to avoid sugary sweets.[4][6] However, she enjoyed baking chocolate chip cookies with her mother.[7] Chang was the valedictorian of her high school class.[4]

Chang is an honors graduate of Harvard College, class of 1991, with a degree in Applied Mathematics and Economics.[8][9] While studying at Harvard, she initially studied astrophysics before switching to applied math.[4] In college, she began selling chocolate chip cookies[4] and became known as the "Chocolate Chip Cookie Girl."[10]

Career

After graduation, Chang worked as a consultant at the Monitor Group.[4] While working at the company, she created a business plan for a company called Joanne's Kitchen and prepared cakes and cookies for her co-workers.[4] Instead of her initial plan to apply to business school, she applied to work as a chef,[4] despite having limited culinary experience.[11]

Chang began her professional cooking career as a garde-manger cook at Boston's Biba restaurant (she was initially hired to run the bar-food program but was soon promoted by Lydia Shire to making appetizers and salads),[4] followed by stints as the pastry cook at Bentonwood Bakery in Newton, and in 1995, the Pastry Chef at Rialto restaurant in Cambridge.[8] In 1997, she began working at the cake department of Payard Patisserie in New York City,[12][13] following a schedule of working from "4 a.m. to midnight, six days a week."[9] Chang returned to Boston to work at Mistral and opened the first outpost of Flour in 2000.[8]

In 2007, Chang appeared on Food Network's "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" and became "nationally known" for beating him.[14] In 2015, she created a frozen yogurt flavor for Pinkberry.[14] She teaches cooking courses.[15]

Cookbooks
  • Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe[16]
  • Flour Too: Indispensable Recipes for the Café's Most Loved Sweets & Savories[17]
  • Baking with Less Sugar: Recipes for Dessert using Natural Sweeteners and Little-to-No White Sugar[18]
  • Myers+Chang at Home[19]

Personal life

Chang is married to Boston restaurateur Christopher Myers.[4][20][21] Together, they opened Myers + Chang in 2007, which was "inspired in Taiwanese and South Asian street food, in the South End,”[12] and co-own the restaurant.[22] She ran every Boston Marathon between 1991 and 2006.[23][24] Chang is a supporter of the No Kid Hungry organization, which seeks to eradicate childhood hunger,[25] and the Family Reach organization.[26]

References
  1. "Kitchen Tour: Joanne Chang's Casual Loft Kitchen". The Kitchn. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  2. "Joanne Chang of Flour wins James Beard award — finally - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  3. "Pastry Chef Joanne Chang has great Sticky Buns". asiancemagazine.com. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  4. "Joanne Chang won't rest until everything is perfect". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  5. "Q&A: Joanne Chang of Boston's Flour Bakery". www.honolulumagazine.com. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  6. "5 Questions: Joanne Chang". Andrew Zimmern. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  7. "Chef profile: Joanne Chang". Style at Home. December 1, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  8. "Joanne Chang". flourbakery.com. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  9. "Joanne Chang, Owner of Flour Bakery, Shares Culinary Expertise". thecrimson.com. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  10. "| Boston Pastry Chef Joanne Chang Follows Her Sweet Tooth to "Flour"". Mochi Magazine. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  11. "Chef Joanne Chang: Making Life Sweeter".
  12. "WGBH Food: Neighborhood Kitchens: Meet Myers + Chang and Flour Bakery Chef Joanne Chang". wgbh.org. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  13. "Joanne Chang | Lovin' Spoonfuls". lovinspoonfulsinc.org. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  14. "Pinkberry and Boston chef Joanne Chang team up for Sticky Bun froyo and No Kid Hungry campaign". masslive.com. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  15. "Keynote Conversation with Dan Barber, Walter Willett and Joanne Chang". foodbetter.harvard.edu. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  16. Joanne Chang. "Joanne Chang". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  17. "Flour, Too: Indispensable Recipes for the Cafe's Most Loved Sweets & Savories | Flour Bakery". www.flourbakery.com. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  18. "Joanne Chang | Flour Bakery". www.flourbakery.com. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  19. "Myers + Chang". www.myersandchang.com. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  20. "Joanne Chang Gets a James Beard Award". Boston Magazine. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  21. Chudy, Katie (February 18, 2014). "Joanne Chang on Her Current Favorites". Eater Boston. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  22. "How James Beard-Nominated Baker Joanne Chang Balances Sleep and Pastry Perfection". Van Winkle's. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  23. Myers + Chang
  24. "2009 Boston Rising Star Chef Joanne Chang of Flour, Myers + Chang on StarChefs.com". www.starchefs.com. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  25. "Meet Joanne Chang, the Chef Behind One of Boston's Most Popular Bakeries | Citi® Private Pass". www.citiprivatepass.com. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  26. "Joanne Chang - Family Reach". Family Reach. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
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