Mai Nguyen

Teaching and production run in parallel in Mai Nguyen’s current roles. As instructor of Get Cooking Canada and corporate pastry chef of COJE restaurants, she moves between explanation and execution, translating pastry methods into language others can use while still building the work itself. That combination asks for clarity in the classroom and discipline in the kitchen, with each new project requiring the same level of control over texture, structure, and presentation.

Research sits at the center of Mai Nguyen’s pastry work at COJE Management Group in Boston and at COJE restaurants. Her own description of the process is direct: “I like to research the culture, dive in, and see how I can do something unique, something that hasn't been done before, something eye-catching.” That sequence matters. It places study before execution, so the finished dessert carries more than surface appeal; it reflects a method built on reference, adaptation, and deliberate decision-making.

Each concept at COJE Management Group in Boston and at COJE restaurants asks for a different reading of pastry, and Mai Nguyen responds by building from detail rather than formula. The result is work that aims for originality without losing balance, drawing on her academic background and field experience while staying open to another angle when a menu changes. Precision and imagination are both in play, but technique remains the base.

Mai Nguyen has received Boston Common Magazine — Best Pastry Chef of Boston.