VUE

S weet, delightful and warm de- scribes not only the makings of a perfect dessert, but the very spir- it of Boston baker Joanne Chang. Since founding the famous Flour Bakery + Café nearly two decades ago, she's gone on to start an empire (eight storefronts and counting), earn a James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker, author five cookbooks, take down Iron Chef Bobby Flay on an episode of Food Network's "rowdown" and even open an Asian-inspired restaurant in the South End alongside husband, Christopher Myers. e way she measures her successes, howev- er, isn't in dollars and cents. Chang prefers to take in the smiles she puts on people's faces— whether it be the customer who traveled far and wide to try her outrageously over-the-top sticky buns or an employee who's genuinely happy to come to work every day. e aware- ness and ability that Chang has to understand people I believe manifests itself in her pastries, and is the reason why they're so sought aer. It doesn't hurt that they're downright delicious, either. On the heels of celebrating Flour's 19th an- niversary and the grand opening of the new- est location in the Seaport District, Chang just released her fih cookbook entitled, "Pastry Love." Inside, readers will find Chang's tips to becoming a better baker, notes from her per- sonal travels, as well as 125 recipes that appeal to beginners and enthusiasts alike ranging from breakfast pastries to sweet and savory breads, pies, cakes and candies. I recently spoke with Chang who talked about her unusual career path, all things Flour Bakery, how she likes to spend the holidays and what her process was like writing her latest book. She also shared an exclusive recipe from "Pastry Love" for peppermint kisses that she considers a "go-to holiday gi." You graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Applied Mathematics and Economics. When did you decide that becom- ing a pastry chef was the career path for you? I got a job as a management consultant at e Monitor Group in Cambridge and I spent two years traveling, writing PowerPoint presentations, creating massive Excel worksheets and attending meetings. I liked the work a lot but I didn't see it becoming a long- term career. I looked at my bosses, some of whom I still keep in touch with today and who I respected a huge amount, and realized that I didn't want to eventually become them. So while my peers were applying to business school or moving up within Monitor, I decided to take a year off and try my hand at a hobby that I'd always enjoyed immensely—cooking. I had dabbled a bit in baking while in college, selling fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies to the student-run dorm grill; it was mostly just to relieve the constant pressure of impossibly difficult problem sets and it was also a way to earn a little spending money. While at Monitor I con- tinued to cook and bake, mostly just hosting dinner parties with friends and sometimes selling my cookies to co-workers who were looking for treats for birthday parties and such. But I'd never really thought it would be a career. I simply loved being in the kitchen and when I had to figure out what I should do aer Monitor, it seemed like spending a year in a professional kitchen would be a great experience. I sent a cover letter and resume (this was before email) to four of the top restaurants in Boston at the time; I explained that I had no V U E N J . C O M 111

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