Joanna Chau

Joanna Chau grew up in the restaurant industry at a young age in her family’s restaurants in Seattle.

At the age of 23, Joanna decided to enroll in culinary school at Seattle Central’s Culinary Academy with the dedication to Specialty Breads, Desserts and Pastries. Upon receiving her culinary diploma, Joanna began working as a pastry cook for Purple Café and Wine Bar in Downtown Bellevue. For 3 years, she was among a team producing the desserts for the restaurant along with the 2 other adjacent restaurants, Lot No. 3 and Cast Iron Studios.

 

While still working at Purple, Joanna was hired on as the Pastry Chef at Seattle’s Tango restaurant, where she was in charge of her own team and created seasonally changing menus. After a year at Tango, she helped to open their sister restaurant next door, Rumba, a rum focused bar with Caribbean fair. Joanna loved the challenges of creating Spanish desserts for Tango, Caribbean desserts for Rumba and New American desserts for Purple, usually all in one day.

 

In 2012, Joanna moved to New York City to pursue new challenges and experiences. She sought out to learn from the best chefs in the country’s best restaurants and experience desserts and cooking at its highest level. Joanna began her New York career at Nomad, the Michelin Starred Restaurant and Hotel, and then to Aureole, Charlie Palmer’s Michelin Star restaurant, in 2013. There she met Pierre and the two was able to work side by side, making breads and desserts for daily service. The quality of standards at these restaurants pushed to elevate her skills as a chef.

 

After a year at Aureole, Joanna was hired on as the Pastry Chef of Scarpetta, 3 Star New York Times restaurant in Chelsea. From running her own team of cooks producing breads and ever changing intricate desserts for hundreds of guests nightly, Joanna found herself more involved in the team operations of the entire restaurant as well. This was the biggest challenge and most rewarding undertaking.

Joanna aims to bring her passion for creative expression of quality foods to the guests at Racine. Back to Seattle, where she calls home.