Meet the Author
Wolfgang Yuck (AKA Steve Rogge) is a restaurant owner with a diverse background in both economics and culinary arts. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a degree in economics, he worked as a financial modeling analyst at Standard & Poor’s. In 2010, driven by a passion for food, Steve began attending culinary school while still juggling his finance career and working in fine dining. In 2012, after graduating from culinary school, he, like Hangry, took a significant leap by opening his first restaurant alongside his lifelong friends, Bill and Kevin. Since then, Steve has opened and operated successful restaurants all over the Richmond metro area and beyond. Also like Hangry, Steve attributes his success to the support of his amazing parents. Outside of his restaurants, you can find Steve on the golf course, pickleball court, or watching MasterChef Junior with his beautiful wife and their three amazing children.
Details
Format: E-book, Paperback, Hardcover
ISBN E-book: 978-1-966369-60-8
ISBN Paperback: 978-1-966369-59-2
ISBN Hardcover: 978-1-966369-58-5
Pages: 36
Release date: 2/10/2026
Endorsements
“Hangry the Bear is a charming tale of food, family, and following your dreams; one that families will want to read again and again! As a reading specialist and mom of two, I am always on the lookout for books that are both meaningful and fun to read, and Hangry the Bear is just that! This inspiring story not only celebrates diversity and foods from around the globe; it also sparks creativity and introduces children to the spirit of entrepreneurship, through one hungry cub’s big dream! This is a book that nourishes the mind and heart!”
—Danise Sumner, reading specialist and author of Abuelita’s American Dream
“Hangry the Bear is a fun and meaningful story about food, friendship, and following your dreams. The fact that Yuck serves up playful rhymes about traveling the world for new cuisines as a real-life chef and restaurant owner makes it even more special and something sure to delight families with young readers and listeners.”
—Steven K. Smith, author of The Virginia Mysteries series
Meet the illustrator
Julie Zielinski was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, where she grew up idolizing the artists and animators of her favorite Disney movies and hoped to one day impact the imaginations of children worldwide the way they did. Creating characters, scenery, and stories that evoke a variety of emotions for the viewer is something she strives to accomplish with each piece she creates.
After graduating with a fine arts degree, she spent ten years teaching preschool and fell in love with children’s literature and illustration, and discovered the joy of reading aloud to children and making stories come to life. Writing and illustrating her own children’s books became her passion, which strengthened as she became a mother to two beautiful sons. To her, children’s literature is an introduction to the world of art, creativity, and imagination. It is a child’s window to the world around them, and it is the responsibility of the author and illustrator to open that window.
Julie currently resides in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband, two boys, and their pit bull mix, Kai.
