Other
Paola Velez
Pastry Chef
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Childhood exposure to Dominican cacao trees and fresh fruit informs a pastry practice that treats flavor as memory, ingredient, and cultural record. In Paola Velez’s work, those references are carried through pastry rather than explained around it. “Every day is a new day, and everything that happened yesterday is not going to hold back my today.” Paola has said.
The Path
Formal pastry training began with Le Cordon Bleu in 2009, giving Paola Velez a technical base before her Washington, D.C. Work moved across production, restaurant service, and menu leadership. Milk Bar, starting in 2016, placed her inside a pastry operation built on recognizable forms and repeatable systems. Arroz followed with Lead Pastry Cook responsibilities, then Iron Gate Restaurant in 2018 and Kith/Kin from 2019 expanded the restaurant context. Executive Pastry Chef roles at Compass Rose and Maydan put menu ownership and cross-cultural dessert work in the same frame. In 2020, co-founding Doña Dona and hosting Pastries with Paola in Food&Wine Magazine extended that practice beyond the restaurant station. Bakers Against Racism made organizing part of the professional output, and Bar Providencia, where Velez has been co-owner and co-chef since 2024, keeps the work tied to hospitality, pastry, and public-facing craft.
The Work Today
Contemporary pastry can carry historical research without losing precision at the bench. Paola Velez’s current work as a cookbook author is built around the flavors and experiences of the Black diaspora, using documented context alongside controlled technique. The kitchen, in this approach, is not only a production site; it is a workplace shaped by teamwork and belonging. Food functions as a time capsule of culture and tradition when the research, the recipe, and the service standard hold together.
Signature
Signature pastries include Pecan-Plantain Sticky Buns, Chocolate Malta Cake, and Mango and Brown Butter Blondies.
Credentials
Industry recognition has marked both the pastry work and the broader public role. Paola Velez’s honors include James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef of the Year finalist (2020), Emerging Voice in Books (2025), Best New Chef (2021), Women Making the World a Better Place (2021), Woman of the Year (2021), and Diversity in Business Award (2021).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Paola
What does Paola Velez do now?
Paola Velez is Pastry Chef and co-founder of Bakers Against Racism.
Where did Paola Velez train or study?
Paola Velez trained at Le Cordon Bleu.
What recognition has Paola Velez received?
James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef of the Year finalist (2020).
