FOOD LA LA FOOD ALCHEMIST
Joanna is our adored food alchemist. She concepts, develops and tests (and tests, and tests, and tests) our FOOD LA LA COOKING CLUB recipes and our custom corporate virtual experiences, and ensures that our team is always well fed. Our current favorite lunch a la Joanna is a hot pink beet-based smoothie that, “has everything we need to function, in case we forget to eat again.”
As a classically trained cellist, Joanna had initially dedicated herself to express beauty and connection through sound. But after graduating from college and learning her mom had been silently battling type 1 diabetes, Joanna’s quest for beauty and connection transitioned to food.
With each new cookbook discovery and every crazy experiment, she gains fresh perspective and new appreciation for what food truly is and how it can be used to take care of ourselves and others.
When crafting a recipe, her first goal is to honor the cultural contributions of the dish; next to pay respect to the ingredients she uses; and finally, to leave people truly fulfilled.
Her cooking style is deeply influenced by her explorative nature. She loves to combine new flavors from her travels and experiment with different techniques to create food that has depth of flavor and textural variety in every bite!
She’s had the honor of working with brands like Plenty (hydroponic farming), Brave (overnight breakfast oats), and Forager Project (vegan brand), and was a recipe tester for America’s Test Kitchen. She even had the pleasure of leading a team and cooking in the locker room of the Golden State Warriors during the 2018-2019 season. (Go Dubs!)
And mais oui, Jennifer and Joanna are twins.
Joanna in 8 questions:
Fav flavor of ice cream? Ube! (it’s a bright purple yam!)
Most underrated spice: Cayenne pepper
Superhero you most resonate with: Wonder Woman
Spirit cocktail: Old fashioned (with all its variations, especially one made with tequila!)
Favorite cookbook: Colombiana by Mariana Velasquez
One dish you wish everybody would try: Hot chocolate with cheese (it’s Colombian—I love the salty sweet combination!)
Favorite book: The Body Book by Cameron Diaz (it ignited my fascination with health and the mind/body connection)
Favorite quote: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Dr. Maya Angelou
WATCH JOANNA DEVELOP A RECIPE:
