Pittsburgh woman’s portrait cookie art comes to Heinz History Center
Share this post:
Jasmine Cho has loved to bake since she learned how in high school.
The joy of making sweet things, cookies in particular, has led Cho to accomplish great things, including becoming a Food Network Champion and the founder of Yummyholic, her online bakery connecting art with pastry.
But the Pittsburgh-based artist, author and self-described “cookie activist” has always felt a deep yearning to use her talent to achieve loftier goals. So, Cho, a Korean American, is using cookies to bring attention to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders — people she feels are underrepresented in our society.
“I’ve always had these passions for social justice and specifically always wanting to make some sort of positive impact on my community,” Cho said. “Identifying personally as an Asian American woman I think those sort of identity issues were always with me as well.”
Cho ended up concentrating on baking custom cookies, her specialty, beginning in 2015. Then came a random request from a friend wondering whether Cho could put her face on a cookie. And Cho’s portrait cookie was born.
“I noticed that they just went viral very quickly. I had discovered this superpower of capturing people’s attentions rather effectively,” Cho said. “So, that’s when I got the idea of making portrait cookies, specifically of people I felt that I wanted to see more of in the media or in text books. People that I felt were missing from history.”
Cho’s first gallery of portrait cookies included local people of Asian American heritage such as former Steelers receiver Hines Ward, who is half Korean, and 412 Food Rescue CEO and co-founder Leah Lizarondo, who was born in the Philippines. A George Takei cookie followed, as well as a cookie dedicated to someone Cho felt deserved more attention, native Hawaiian activist and musician George Helm, who disappeared in 1977.
A TEDx talk gave Cho national exposure and brought attention from media outlets like CBS and NPR.
Now Cho is making a virtual appearance as part of a Senator John Heinz History Center program called “Portraits in Icing: The Intersection of Representation, Race and Cookies” at 7 p.m. Sept. 24. Cho will spend the evening demonstrating to virtual attendees how she uses cookies to initiate conversations about race.
“The History Center was eager to work with Jasmine and showcase her artistry,” said Mariruth Leftwich, director of learning at the History Center and coordinator of the program. “We recognize that portraiture is often more exclusionary than inclusive, and we feel that Jasmine’s art opens up conversation about who should be included in portraiture, while also providing an exciting new way to explore the art of portrait making.”
Cho, 36, was born and raised in Los Angeles and first came to Pittsburgh in 2002 to attend Duquesne University as a pharmacy student. After deciding that wasn’t for her, she left for Hawaii before moving back to Pittsburgh and settling here for good in 2009. She eventually completed her degree in art therapy at Carlow University in 2019.
As far what kind of cookies she makes, Cho said they are all sugar cookies.
“All of my cookies tend to be a traditional vanilla sugar cookie. Sometimes I’ll make a chocolate sugar cookie if I want to play with a darker background for my cookie art.”
During next Thursday’s event, Cho will be demonstrating how she completes her portraits from start to finish. Those attending will have an opportunity to do portraits of their own.
The virtual program is being held in conjunction with the History Center exhibit “Smithsonian’s Portraits of Pittsburgh: Works from the National Portrait Gallery.” It features original paintings, sketches, prints and photos of more than 100 Americans with Western Pennsylvania connections.