Joanne Chang’s Flour Bakery Is Proof That Passion Bakes Success

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TLDR

Joanne Chang, owner of Flour Bakery, didn’t set out to become one of the most celebrated pastry chefs in the country. With a degree in Applied Mathematics and Economics from Harvard, she spent her early years navigating spreadsheets as a management consultant. But she found herself daydreaming about food, testing recipes in her free time, and slowly realizing her heart belonged in the kitchen, not in a boardroom.

After leaving consulting, she took her first kitchen role at Boston’s Biba restaurant. From there, she immersed herself in every corner of the pastry world—from Newton's Bentonwood Bakery to the cake department at Payard Patisserie in New York City. In 2000, she returned to Boston and opened the first Flour Bakery in the South End. What started as one small bakery with big dreams grew into a local staple with nine locations across Boston and Cambridge.

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A Bakery Built on Purpose

Flour has earned a reputation for its chewy cookies, decadent sticky buns, and scratch-made sandwiches, but it's also a place where team culture and mentorship thrive. Joanne's early experiences in professional kitchens shaped the way she leads her teams. After spending years on the line, she values every role in the kitchen—from dishwasher to head chef—and works to make sure that everyone who enters the doors of Flour feels supported.

She decided to open a second location to give her team space to grow. Joanne recognized the potential in five team members and built new opportunities around their development. That commitment to growth continues to shape Flour's culture. The management invests in professional training, builds leadership skills, and focuses on creating a supportive workplace where people feel heard.