A core value that has been at the heart of Hot Bread Kitchen’s success is recognizing our strong talent and growing from within our organization. We are thrilled to announce internal promotions on the Hot Bread Kitchen Team!
Kristine Borok, Chief Strategy and Advancement Officer
A seasoned nonprofit professional with a past life as a chef, Kristine (she/her) will take on another new role at Hot Bread Kitchen overseeing Development, Brand, and organizational and DEI strategy. Kristine joined Hot Bread Kitchen as our first Head of Brand & Development in 2019 and transitioned to the founding Chief Operating Officer in 2022, building our first people and operations team, and overseeing the development of our facility at Chelsea Market. Before her tenure at Hot Bread Kitchen, she led development programs for the American Museum of Natural History, Children’s Health Fund, and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Ally Miller, Director of Institutions and Development Strategy
Ally (she/her) has been promoted to a new leadership role continuing to oversee our institutional partners, as well as development strategy and data analytics. Ally joined Hot Bread Kitchen in 2022 and significantly grew the organization’s institutional revenue playing a critical role in the organization’s growth. Before joining Hot Bread Kitchen, Ally served as the Institutional Giving Manager at the Edible Schoolyard.
Wai Chu, Senior Director of Culinary Workforce Programs
In his new role, Wai (he/him) will oversee all culinary workforce programming, including managing Culinary Fundamentals, SBS’ First Course NYC, Culinary ESOL, Upskilling, and our Quality Jobs Initiative. Since joining Hot Bread Kitchen 5 years ago, Wai, who has vast experience in the food industry, has been instrumental in shaping and growing our culinary programs, including the development of our first culinary training curriculum, and nurturing our strong employer partnerships.
Azra Samiee, Senior Director of Small Business Programs
Azra (she/her) joined Hot Bread Kitchen in January 2022 as Director of Community and Member Engagement, leading recruiting and supporting an unprecedented number of Hot Bread Kitchen members. This shift towards small business brings Azra back to her core area of expertise: prior to joining Hot Bread Kitchen, she spent several years working at the Brooklyn Federal Cooperative Credit Union, providing financial counseling services to individuals and to small business owners.
Sonam Choedon, Director of Community and Member Engagement
Sonam (she/her) has been with Hot Bread Kitchen for 4 years, beginning her time at the organization as an intern. She has played an integral role in formalizing our community outreach and member support services, drawing from her expertise in social work and her deep commitment to our mission (not to mention her fluency in 5 different languages!). A trusted partner to our members, Sonam has led our professional readiness programming and was a critical part of the responsive pandemic support we were able to provide members beginning in 2020.
Julia Liburdi, Employer Partnerships Manager
Julia (she/her) started at Hot Bread Kitchen in Spring 2023 as a Program Coordinator, and quickly grew into the position of Employer Partnerships Manager. Julia brings with her a wealth of experience in relationship management from her previous role at CAMBA as their Beyond Hunger Emergency Food Pantry Supervisor, and has previously worked at other food-related jobs in both the Boston and Detroit areas.
Barbara Duarte, Lead Culinary Instructor, Culinary Fundamentals
Barbara (she/her) joined Hot Bread Kitchen in Fall 2022 as the Assistant Instructor for Culinary Fundamentals, and has fully embraced teaching and Hot Bread Kitchen’s mission. Barbara brings over 14 years of cooking experience to the role, including a Chef de Cuisine post at a Michelin-starred Italian fine dining restaurant in Brazil.
