Tracing the History of Asian Americans in Royal Icing
A Pittsburgh artist and baker paints portraits on cookies to showcase underrepresented cultures
In a coworking kitchen space in Pittsburgh, Jasmine Cho preps a palette of icing colors to decorate her freshly baked cookies.
She starts with the outline of a face and a base layer of icing. Next comes the hair, ears, and nose. It turns out to be Grace Lee Boggs, the legendary Asian-American author, activist, and philanthropist.
With the combination of piped royal icing and hand-painted edible coloring, Cho brings every facet of Boggs’ profile to life — from her snow-white hair to her wrinkles of wisdom.
This cookie is more than just a treat — it’s what she likes to call “sweet activism.”
Cho, 35, is a second-generation Korean American and the founder of Yummyholic, an online bakery that specializes in custom cookies. She combines activism with art by creating…
