Anne Zoe is one of Boulder’s most beloved culinary icons as chef and co-owner at Zoe Ma Ma, the Michelin-recommended restaurant she opened in 2010 with her son, Edwin Zoe. She charmed a national audience and host Guy Fieri when he brought his Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives program to Boulder.
Raised in Tainan, Taiwan, Anne Zoe did not grow up with kitchen skills, according to her son. (Due to her limited English, Edwin interviewed his mother, using questions I wrote for her.)
“Ma Ma says she didn’t know how to cook when she married my father at 19,” Edwin says. “One of the first meals she made was just awful. But, being positive and encouraging, my father told her it was delicious. Encouraged, Ma Ma cooked the same meal for a whole week before she learned to make something else.”
Now 81, Anne Zoe has slowed considerably since the days when she would make hundreds of dumplings by hand every day. But she still visits each morning to check on the food and staff, and have tea with her son.
“When she was young, Ma Ma enjoyed cooking because it nourished her family. Now, she enjoys seeing customers enjoying her food. It gives her a sense of purpose.”
Anne Zoe’s work advice is short and to the point, according to Edwin: “Always put love into your work.”
This is part of a larger story, "Portraits in great taste," profiling women who are shaping the way we eat, drink and buy food in Boulder. Read other profiles in the series here.