Thao J Rich (she/her)
Associate Instructor College of Food Innovation & Technology Baking & Pastry Providence
Biography and Expertise
Thao Rich’s area of expertise is cookies, as she is known as the “Cookie Goddess” by her colleagues, and she has a cult cookie following inside the JWU community.
Aside from teaching Cookies & Petits Fours, she enjoys teaching a wide range of pastry skills from basic foundations to cakes to plated desserts. She enjoys tapping into her Asian heritage by co-advising the Cooking Asia Club; she especially enjoys teaching and molding freshmen students with organized and detailed classroom demonstrations infused with everyday life skills.
An alum of JWU’s Baking & Pastry Arts bachelor of science program, Rich has honed her skills in prominent Boston-area restaurants and bakeries. In 2011, she began her teaching career at Le Cordon Bleu in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This facilitated her return to Johnson & Wales as an instructor.
She enjoys being a mom to two boys. When she is not baking, she likes cooking, crafts, home improvement projects, and yoga.
Education
MS
Johnson & Wales University
BS
Johnson & Wales University
CITI Certification
Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative
Food Safety Manager Certification (FSM)
National Registry of Food Safety Professionals
Certified Executive Pastry Chef (CEPC)
American Culinary Federation
Pop Up Dinner at Clementine Cocktail Bar
Faculty presentation of seasonal menu at local foodservice establishment
Clementine Pop Up Dinner presented by JWU Faculty
Clementine Cocktail Bar, JWU
Clementine Cocktail Bar
Providence
RI
United States
Camp Bread 2024
Demonstration
Camp Bread: C is for Camp Cookies
Bread Baker’s Guild of America
Johnson & Wales University
Providence
RI
United States