Asian American Artist Uses Cookies as Her Canvas

Artist Jasmine Cho paints images of both well-known and forgotten Asian Americans. But she does not use paper or canvas¹ to create her art. She uses cookies.

Cho, who is also a baker², said the sweet treats "are the perfect platform for education, activism and healing..."

The 39-year-old Korean American artist calls herself a "cookie activist³." She said she believes her art comes from a feeling of not belonging when she was young.

Cho has gained fans over the last several years for her detailed⁴ cookie faces. Actors Awkwafina, Daniel Dae Kim and Tamlyn Tomita are among those who have praised her cookie designs.

The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Cho has lived since 2009, even honored her with a "Jasmine Cho Day" in 2020.

Back in 2016, Cho was busy making cookies for her online bakery, Yummyholic. She decorated cookies with faces for a friend's birthday party. The cookies received attention on social media. Soon, others wanted her cookies, too.

Cho said, "It felt like a sort of superpower." She had an "aha moment" of how to use her great power with great responsibility.

Cho grew up in Southern California and New Mexico. She said she noticed when Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were not represented in movies, television shows or even history books. It made her question her own sense of belonging in America.

"That was always a pain point for me growing up," said Cho. "So, I kind of always had this question: ‘I wonder if I could use this point of joy for me to address this pain point?'"

Cookies, she said, were the answer.

A few months after making her first cookie faces, Cho held her first showing. She made cookies of Asian American Pittsburgh natives like actor Ming-Na Wen. She also made one of Leah Lizarondo, the founder⁵ of 412 Food Rescue. The organization decreases food waste in over 25 cities in the U.S. and Canada by giving unsold food to people in need.

Lizarondo remembers how surprised she was to find out that Cho had made her into a cookie face. For the Filipino American, the honor was not a waste of food.

"I shared it as widely as I could as I was so proud to be among the people she did cookie portraits of," Lizarondo said by email.

Cho spends between four and six hours on each cookie face. She draws the cookie face by hand, fills it in with icing and then lets it dry.

Her art has taken her to interesting places. In 2019, she wrote and drew images for a children's book, Role Models Who Look Like Me. In the last few years, she has made over 20 virtual⁶ and in-person appearances at universities, schools and other gatherings⁷. She also leads cookie-decorating workshops.

Her favorite thing is when young Asian Americans feel empowered by her work.

"They tell me things like, ‘I learned more in your 15-minute talk than I have in my whole class that's about Asian American history,' or something like that," Cho said.

One of Cho's cookie faces is an image of Betty Ong, a flight attendant⁸ who died in the September 11 terrorist⁹ attacks. Ong's niece found Cho's creation¹⁰ on Instagram and contacted her.

Cho said, "For a family member to reach out and just thank me for sharing her story in the way that I did ... reminding me of the tenderness that comes with this work, the importance of it."

Words in This Story

cookie - n. sweet, baked goods that is usually small, flat, and made from flour and sugar

baker - n. someone who makes food such as bread, cookie and cake

platform - n. something that lets someone to tell a large number of people about an idea or product

decorate - v. to make something more attractive by putting something on it

aha moment - n. a time when something is suddenly seen, found or understood

portrait - n. a painting, drawing or photograph of a person

icing - n. sweet flavored mixture used to coat baked goods

tenderness - n. gentleness and affection

1 canvas   

n.粗帆布，一块油画布

参考例句：

• The times that people used canvas boat have become history.人们用帆船的时代已成为历史。
• Smith painted an oil painting on the canvas.史密斯在画布上画了一幅油画。

2 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

5 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

6 virtual   

adj.实质上的，事实上的，实际上的

参考例句：

• This reply is a virtual acceptance of our offer.这一回答实质上是接受了我们的建议。
• At that time the East India Company was the virtual ruler of Bengal.那时东印度公司是孟加拉的实际统治者。

7 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

8 attendant   

n.随从，跟班，出席者，服务员；adj.伴随的，出席的，注意的，在场的

参考例句：

• She was interrupted by the entrance of an attendant.服务员进来，打断了她的话。
• We met the officer attendant on the general.我们见到了随从将军的副官。

9 terrorist   

n.恐怖主义者，恐怖分子

参考例句：

• Without the gun,I'm a sitting duck for any terrorist.没有这支枪，我就成了恐怖分子下手的目标了。
• The district was put on red alert during a terrorist's bomb scare.这个地区在得到恐怖分子炸弹恐吓后作了应急准备。

10 creation   

n.创造，创造的作品，产物，宇宙，天地万物

参考例句：

• Language is the most important mental creation of man.语言是人类头脑最重要的产物。
• The creation of new playgrounds will benefit the local children.新游戏场的建立将有益于当地的儿童。