“You break the ice by breaking bread,” says Tracy Chang, chef/owner of PAGU restaurant in Cambridge. This philosophy has been true in her life and in the two months of her tenure as a host of GBH Amplifies, our community conversation series based in the GBH Boston Public Library Studio.
With a CV boasting multiple nominations for James Beard Awards, a number of impactful nonprofit initiatives, and a popular restaurant that recently received the prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand, it’s clear why Sandra López Burke, GBH’s Managing Director of Community and Government Relations, asked Chang to host the series on the fourth Thursday every month. “When I learned [hosting GBH Amplifies] was just me having conversations with people I know well and admire, I thought, ‘I do this all the time!’” Chang says.
Part entrepreneur, part advocate, full-time chef and parent, Chang has found fruitful and fulfilling ways to merge her personal and professional lives through her philanthropic efforts, combatting food insecurity and tirelessly serving the Greater Boston community. We sat down with Chang to discuss her vision for GBH Amplifies, what motivates her professionally, and where her commitment to service comes from.
Tracy, congratulations on the Bib Gourmand. I recently ate at PAGU and can confirm it’s outstanding. What did receiving that award mean to you?
It was interesting; I never thought Michelin would be in Boston in my lifetime. Having worked in a three-star Michelin restaurant in Spain for a chef who is always interested in more stars, opening PAGU was never about that.
It’s wonderful to receive that kind of attention and recognition. But at the end of the day, we just want to be a good example, a good neighbor, and continue doing work we’re proud of.
So far, the breadth of guests you’ve brought on GBH Amplifies has been so interesting. You had a letterlocking expert, a fellow chef and entrepreneur, and the incomparable Marvin Gilmore. How do you identify the people you’d like to highlight in the program?
Every person I’ve had on Amplifies, I met through food. I met Jana [Dambrogio, conservator at MIT Libraries and letterlocking expert] at a table with mutual friends. My landlords introduced me to Marvin [Gilmore] as I was looking to buy [PAGU’s] liquor license. And Tran [Ngoc Lee, chef and owner of Viet CITRON], I met when I went to her restaurant and loved it at first bite.
In terms of how I find interesting people for the show, I look for people who are multi-talented and down-to-earth; people who haven’t had a clear path in their lives or careers, who’ve chosen to pursue their passion even when there are easier things they could’ve done.
Those are the people I’m most interested in; Jana, Marvin, and Tran all have that in common. They welcome being asked for advice, or where to get lunch, or for their mother’s recipe. They’ll write it down for you; they might even cook it with you.
What’s been your approach to shaping the interviews/sessions?
I have kids who are five and six years-old, and their attention spans can be a bit short—as can mine from being so involved in the restaurant world. So I thought, how do we break this down into bite-sized pieces, covering a guest’s life in four or five stories — from their early childhood to young adulthood, to where they are today. Before each show, I go visit [guests] at their space and we share some food and they start telling stories and I take notes. I want to have these intimate conversations and dive deep into who these people are.
What are some important subjects that you’d like to tackle in future sessions?
We will definitely have food. As a chef-host, it would be strange if I didn’t have food! That’s something that people can always expect if they are attending live: they will be invited to taste something. With Marvin, it was his stewed okra, with Tran, her summer rolls, and Jana, I made some granola that had a story behind it. Hopefully, the food resonates with the guest and audience and helps put people at ease.
In future sessions, I’m excited to talk about our Refugee Food Festival which takes place on Blanche Street on Saturday, June 20, at the intersection of PAGU’s’s patio and a private street by our building. We started hosting it last year with friends David Lander, Jonny Zackman, and in partnership with RIAC (Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center) — a refugee foundation here in the Boston area.
We’ll have all kinds of arts and entertainment — music and face painting — just like a big family-friendly block party. And the food will be provided by refugee chefs who will prep on-site at PAGU. There’s representation from Morocco, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Somalia, Venezuela — foods you might have a hard time finding in the Boston area, and would hardly ever find in one place.
Who are some of your influences, both as a chef and in your nonprofit efforts?
Marvin Gilmore is actually one of the people who has inspired me. I remember when I first met him over food at the S&S (the famous deli restaurant in Cambridge). I remember Marvin asking, “What do you want to do?”
“I want to open this restaurant,” I said, “but I keep trying to tell people that it’s more than a restaurant. At the heart of it are food, community, and collaboration.”
Since we opened the restaurant in 2016, I didn’t feel like people understood that. It was like, “I get it, you all love the ramen, the squid bao bun, etc.” But if you don’t have the who and the why in a restaurant, then why are you even doing it? I felt like people didn’t understand that until 2020.
Speaking of which, it seems like your philanthropic work really picked up during the pandemic. What was it about that moment that gave you a sense of responsibility to fill gaps and serve?
It was just a wake-up call for me — we’re here to serve others. The world is not always a happy place. When people come to restaurants, they’re generally pretty happy. They’re there to celebrate, eat and drink, and enjoy. Sometimes they’re there to grieve. But one thing that ties us all together is that we all have to eat. The root of the word “restaurant” means “to restore.” So we started to think about it as a responsibility to shoulder: providing food for people who don’t have it.
During COVID, we started two nonprofits out of PAGU. The first was Off Their Plate, which started when a friend, seeing restaurants closing and healthcare workers inundated with patients, asked, “What do you think about restaurants making food and we deliver it to hospitals?” I thought, “Well, this is kind of like takeout. If DoorDash can do it, so can we.” It seemed like second nature. The initiative expanded very quickly, from Boston to New York, LA, Chicago, Seattle. Within two years, we were working in 12 cities with multiple operating arms of volunteers, and had raised $12 million. It was mostly a logistical challenge — setting up spreadsheets, asking folks to donate their time or resources or surplus ingredients — which, as a chef, seems like what I do all the time.
In the course of operating Off Their Plate, we realized there was this other need in terms of people who are not being reached: folks who couldn’t leave their homes, the elderly, those without safety nets, essential workers. So we spun off another nonprofit called Project Restore Us. On a local scale, we enlist volunteers to deliver groceries to households, giving families enough food to last four to six weeks. In the Greater Boston area, we’ve had over 50 volunteers with six restaurants pitching in. We’ve raised over $500,000 and we’ve been going since 2020.
You’re from Lexington, MA. Why is it so important for you to make an impact in and around your hometown?
I just felt like it was important to make a difference in my local community. My dad’s a good example of that. He’s a pediatrician, and he goes to work every day, no matter how tired he is. He showed me you don’t have to be the loudest to be the leader; you just have to show up and lead by example. And eventually, people will notice.
PAGU is named after your dogs. Why did you choose that as the name for your restaurant?
Pagu means “pug” in Japanese. Probably I picked it because my pugs are super curious and playful, and they’re just the most loyal and compassionate people — I mean, dogs — and so I thought, “This is something that’ll stick and I won’t get tired of.”
Lightning Round
Favorite food?
Fried Rice!
Are you reading anything right now?
Duolingo — I’m trying to learn Japanese.
What are you listening to right now?
Unfortunately, my own voice! I’m watching these GBH Amplifies episodes to see what I can improve — my tone, my posture, my facial expressions. I’ve been trying not to overanalyze it, but I just watch a little bit to see what I can do better.
What are your inspirations?
My kids. They always remind me of the energy, influence, and value in spending time with young people. My kids are super joyful and goofy — and, at times, villainous — but they’re always so interesting.
Favorite meal you’ve had?
The best meal I had in the last 10 years was recently at Lurra° in Kyoto
One piece of cooking advice?
Taste. All the time, people forget to taste while they’re cooking.
What PAGU dishes would you recommend?
Pork belly bao! There’s a reason it’s the number one seller.
Also Hamachi Crudo.
And Green Crab Laksa, which is selling really well. People around here love their oysters, but if you want more oysters, you’ve got to eat more green crabs — they’re super invasive and have devastated oyster beds here locally. With the laksa, we figured out a way to make a really tasty broth, super rich and very crabby. People should eat more of it!
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Learn more about GBH Amplifies, watch previous sessions, and stop by the GBH Boston Public Library Studio the next time Tracy Chang hosts — the fourth Thursday at 12:30pm every month.
