No Kid Hungry partners with the culinary community to raise funds and advocate for programs that connect kids with the meals they need to thrive.
Earlier this month, longtime No Kid Hungry champion Joanne Chang and her Flour Bakery + Cafe team brought more than 500 bakers together for Cookies on the Common, a giant cookie swap featuring nearly 25,000 homemade cookies! Held in Boston to celebrate the launch of Joanne's new cookbook, The Joy of Cookies, the event raised nearly $25,000 for No Kid Hungry.
Fresh off this sweet celebration, we caught up with Joanne for our latest Chef Spotlight.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
1. How did you first get connected with No Kid Hungry?
I think my first introduction to No Kid Hungry came when I was working at Rialto with Jody Adams and Christopher Myers. When you're working in a kitchen and your chef invites you to represent the restaurant at an event, you go, and you learn about it. I believe the first event I attended was Boston's Taste of the Nation.
2. What has your involvement looked like over the years?
I got much more involved once we opened Flour. Running my own business gave me more time and more say over how we spent our time and our charitable dollars. We started going to No Kid Hungry Dinners, where I met supporters and heard from the No Kid Hungry team, including co-founder Billy Shore.
Listening to Billy made me realize I'd only been on the edges of this organization, and I wanted to do more. Then I met Rosemary (Billy's wife). We got coffee, and my investment in the organization grew from there. I'm proud to share that 2027 will be my seventh year serving on the Board of Directors for Share Our Strength, the organization behind the No Kid Hungry campaign.
Joanne and Billy
3. What's something about you that people might be surprised to learn?
I'm obsessed with my dog, Beezy, and I love to play piano. If you want to see more of Beezy, she has her own Instagram: @himynameisbeezy.
4. Who has had the biggest influence on the way you cook, and what did they teach you?
Rick Katz, the first pastry chef I ever worked for. He taught me how much taste matters. That sounds obvious, but it's easy to lose sight of when you're caught up in menu development and technique. We tasted every single thing we made. He was a wonderful mentor, and he taught me to slow down and make sure everything was balanced: the right amount of crunch, softness, acidity, and creaminess.
What's one food opinion you'll defend to the death?
Professionally, I won't make pastries without salt. It wakes up all the flavors. Personally, I think frozen yogurt is one of the greatest treats of all time. It isn't a fad. People who don't get it just haven't had amazing frozen yogurt!
What's exciting you most about the culinary world right now?
My head is all about cookies right now. It's cookie season, the days are full with holiday bake-offs, and I just released my new cookbook, The Joy of Cookies. I'm living in the world of cookies!
What's a meal or food memory that has stayed with you over the years?
Making dumplings with my mom. Every Sunday my mom would gather all the ingredients, and we'd sit at the kitchen table and make dumplings all afternoon. I started when I was a little girl, when I'm sure none of my dumplings made it to the dinner table, but I perfected it as I got older. It's a memory with my mom that I treasure.
Lightning Round
Most underrated ingredient? Salt.
Favorite snack? Double chocolate cookie.
Go-to karaoke song? "You're Still the One" by Shania Twain.
Dream dinner guest? My mom, although I'm fortunate to have dream dinner guests all the time: my dad and my husband.
Most-used kitchen tool? My bench scraper.
Last meal? Pizza, sushi, and ice cream.
Photos by Ben Flythe
