There are so many pandemic woes that when a rare silver lining appears, it’s a terrific reminder that joy still exists. Myo Quinn is one of those lights, and her appearance on the Charlottesville food scene makes us all better.
Quinn admits that she wasn’t supposed to be here. But when COVID-19 surged through New York City in spring of 2020, she and her husband packed their three boys into a rental car and headed south. They stopped in Orange, Virginia, for a night. That turned into a week, then a month. Eventually Quinn says they set their sights on “the biggest, closest town” and landed in Charlottesville.
It wasn’t the first time Quinn had made a radical pivot. She quit a hedge fund career after having her second child, and went to culinary school, where she put her love of cooking and her mother’s food wisdom together for what she calls her second life.
After cooking on the line for Danny Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern and Untitled, Quinn turned to food writing and recipe development. Her contributions can be found digitally on the Food Network, Delish, and Good Housekeeping. Last fall, her friendship with Holly Hammond of Whisper Hill Farm led to the formation of Pear, an IX Art Park Farmers Market stall that offers unique baked goods.
What does a recipe developer do?
There are two approaches. First, you pitch a recipe that you want to put out there. For example, I’m Korean so it might be a Korean recipe that the Food Network is lacking. If it gets approved, you write the recipe from beginning to end. You cook it, test it. Then a big part of it is introducing it to the reader. What it is, what to keep in mind, what’s important—the tips and tricks.
A second way is that the platform might come to you and say, for instance, “We don’t have a good stuffed cabbage recipe.” So they’ll assign a recipe to you. You’ll have to research it. If it’s a flavor profile you’re not familiar with you’ll have to make it several times. Ask the right questions to the right people.
Do you have a favorite or a major success?
The platform would measure that by likes, or comments, or ratings. For me, I am proudest when it’s a recipe that is familiar to me. A recipe that comes from something that I cook frequently for my family. Most recently it was a miso-braised kale that is served over multigrain rice.
Was cooking a big part of your childhood?
Yes. My mother is a very good cook. She is also a very smart cook. I always joke that all of the things I could’ve learned in a professional kitchen I came into the professional kitchen already knowing because my mom had taught me: How to be efficient. How to be thoughtful. How to work with urgency. How to clean up as you’re working. And how to be a better eater, which means trying everything.
How did Pear come to be?
Pear is the result of a friendship between Holly of Whisper Hill Farm and me. We met at the IX farmers’ market last summer. Over this past Christmas holiday, Holly came up with the idea to make cookie boxes…I think the final count was 4,200 cookies between the two of us.
That number is representative of how Holly and I approach life. We often joke that we do everything with gusto. So, Pear is a continuation of holiday baking.
Holly recently went back to farming so it’s just me right now. Every Thursday on Instagram we announce the menu that will be available on the following Saturday. I always try to have something with citrus, seasonal fruit, chocolate, caramel, and spice; something with a vegetable; and something with cinnamon.
Recently I had an ah-ha moment when I realized I needed to always have something for kids. Because when a kid walks up and says, “This is all grown-up stuff” and walks away, the whole family walks away.
What ingredient will never be used in your cooking?
I grew up in Asunción, Paraguay. There are so many mango trees there, and as a child you ride your bicycle on the roads and you squash the mangoes. It splashes up through your bicycle wheels and you end up smelling of ripe mango, which some people covet, but it reminds me of really hot, humid summers where you just can’t get rid of it. So, mangoes.
What are some of the local discoveries that have impressed you?
When I arrived I put out a message on a Facebook group, asking, “What is the one thing that represents Charlottesville?” and people said it was the ham biscuits. So we worked our way through the ham biscuits.
I think something Charlottesville does really well is curry. Thai curry, even compared to New York, the red curry from Chimm. Pearl Island chicken curry is phenomenal. I went out of my way to talk to [chef Sober Pierre] because I was in tears when I had it. I was like, “Wow. I didn’t realize how homesick I was.”
What do you make of Charlottesville’s food scene?
As a chef that has been cooking and eating in New York City for the past 15 years or so, the biggest challenge I’ve had is to figure out what this community is willing to eat. Just like each family has specific eating habits, each community has food preferences.
There are times when I feel very vulnerable baking here. I love that the customers will ask lots of questions and try things, then come back every week. But I’m making something completely different, and always feeling like, “Are people gonna come?”
Myo Quinn’s miso-braised kale with multigrain rice
Multigrain rice
1 cup medium-grain white rice
1/2 cup millet
1/4 cup sweet rice
1/4 cup quinoa
Braised kale
2 tbs. neutral oil, such as grapeseed or vegetable
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 scallion, finely chopped (white and green parts)
2 bunches kale, tough stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
13/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock or water
3 tbs. white miso
2 tbs. agave syrup (or whatever sweetener you prefer)
2 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. unseasoned rice wine vinegar
Cook the multigrain rice: Rinse and drain the white rice, millet, sweet rice, and quinoa. Place in a medium pot with two cups of water. Cook over high heat, uncovered, until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for five minutes to finish cooking. Do not uncover! (That would release all the steam you need to make the rice fluffy.) Meanwhile, cook the kale: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil, garlic, and scallion. Cook, stirring continuously, until fragrant, about one minute. Add the kale in batches, stirring with each addition (the kale will slowly wilt, creating space for more kale). Stir in the stock, miso, agave, and soy sauce. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for five minutes, allowing the flavors to meld. Right before serving, drizzle with the vinegar and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the soy sauce or agave syrup if needed. To serve, divide the multigrain rice among four bowls and top each with the braised kale.
