Author bio

Joï’s Northern European inspiration is a reflection of my own personal history. I am half Dutch, half English, was born in Norway, and grew up in Sweden and the Netherlands. Having quite the sweet tooth, I’ve enjoyed my fair share of baked treats from all over Northern Europe!  

Although my career is in design and innovation rather than in the culinary arts, I have always loved baking. My mother shared her enthusiasm for cooking and baking with me when I was a child. Both of my grandmothers were talented home bakers and they feature often in the book. 

Now that I’m living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with my husband and two little boys, I am having fun replicating the sweets and baked goods from my childhood. It fills my heart to pass these recipes on to other enthusiastic home bakers and to share a taste of my pastry-heritage with you all.

I am a food and commercial photographer based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. I started my photography journey about 12 years ago. I’ve been featured in different online publications and named ‘Best Family Photographer’ in San Jose for six years in a row. I have thrived on photographing people for many years, especially families, but over time evolved my services to include branding & commercial photography. 

At the beginning of 2021, I expanded my interests again by applying my signature use of light and storytelling to what I consider a subject outside of my comfort zone: Joanna’s Northern European pastry. And that was the inception of the idea behind the making of "Joï: Baking and photographing Northern European pastry". I am honored beyond words to be working which such a talented baker, and extraordinary human being, Joanna.