Paola Velez | |
---|---|
Education | Le Cordon Bleu |
Occupation | Pastry chef |
Organization | Bakers Against Racism |
Paola Velez (December 16, 1990) is a pastry chef and social justice activist from New York with Dominican heritage. She has worked for restaurants such as Milk Bar and Maydan in Washington, D.C., and she co-founded the organization Bakers Against Racism, as well as the donut pop-up shop Doña Dona in 2020. [1] [2]
Velez grew up in The Bronx, New York. [3] Her mother worked as an accountant for the Tex-Mex restaurant Mary Ann’s, which was owned by her mother’s cousin. [4] [5] She spent her childhood summers visiting her grandparents at their family home in the Dominican Republic. [5] During her summers spent in the Dominican, she gained an appreciation for fresh produce, learning how to grow her own vegetables and fruit, and experiencing her grandmother’s home cooking. [5]
Velez moved to Washington, D.C., in 2016 with her husband Hector Velez. [1] [6] [7]
Velez was educated at Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando, Florida. [5] [7] After graduating in 2009, Velez studied for two years under Jacques Torres, an expert in the chocolate industry, at his factory in Brooklyn, New York. [1] [7] [8] Velez moved from New York to Washington, D.C., in 2016 to work as a pastry chef at Milk Bar under chef Christina Tosi. [1] [7] With her gained experience, Velez transitioned to the position of Lead Pastry Cook at D.C. restaurant Arroz. [1] [9] She also functioned as the pastry chef for the Iron Gate Restaurant in 2018, and for Kith/Kin in 2019. [1] [9] Velez led the kitchen at Compass Rose and Michelin-starred Maydan while serving as the restaurant’s Executive Pastry Chef. [1] [9] After being furloughed during the Covid-19 pandemic, Velez joined Food&Wine Magazine to create the online streaming show, “Pastries with Paola, '' in which she shares recipes inspired by her Dominican heritage. [8] [10]
In April 2020 Velez co-founded the donut pop-up shop Doña Dona with Daniella Senior, founder of the Cuban cafe Colada Shop and the cocktail bar Serenata. [9] [11] Doña Dona raised around $1,100 that was donated to Ayunda D.C., an organization providing social and legal support for D.C. immigrants. [2] [12] After Doña Dona’s success, Velez co-founded Bakers Against Racism, a movement raising money for racial justice organization through baking, with pastry chef Willa Pelini. [2] [7] Velez also enlisted chef Rob Rubba to create graphic designs to garner support for the organization over social media. [2] Through their posts, the chefs were able to virtually gather bakers from across the country to create their own bake sales supporting racial justice advocacy. [2] Since its launch in 2020, Bakers Against Racism has gained more than 3,000 participants in over 200 U.S. cities and raised over $2 million for organizations supporting Black Lives Matter. [1] [13] Bakers Against Racism has been recognized as the largest bake sale in history, raising millions of dollars. [14]
2021 Food & Wine Best New Chef [1] [4]
2021 InStyle 50 Women Making the World a Better Place [1] [15]
2021 Time Out Magazine Woman of the Year [1] [16]
2021 Washington Business Journal Diversity in Business Award Winner [1] [17]
2020 James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef Finalist [1] [18]
2020 Esquire Pastry Chef of the Year Winner [1] [19]
2020 Washingtonian Magazine 100 Best Winner [1] [20]
Paola Velez | |
---|---|
Education | Le Cordon Bleu |
Occupation | Pastry chef |
Organization | Bakers Against Racism |
Paola Velez (December 16, 1990) is a pastry chef and social justice activist from New York with Dominican heritage. She has worked for restaurants such as Milk Bar and Maydan in Washington, D.C., and she co-founded the organization Bakers Against Racism, as well as the donut pop-up shop Doña Dona in 2020. [1] [2]
Velez grew up in The Bronx, New York. [3] Her mother worked as an accountant for the Tex-Mex restaurant Mary Ann’s, which was owned by her mother’s cousin. [4] [5] She spent her childhood summers visiting her grandparents at their family home in the Dominican Republic. [5] During her summers spent in the Dominican, she gained an appreciation for fresh produce, learning how to grow her own vegetables and fruit, and experiencing her grandmother’s home cooking. [5]
Velez moved to Washington, D.C., in 2016 with her husband Hector Velez. [1] [6] [7]
Velez was educated at Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando, Florida. [5] [7] After graduating in 2009, Velez studied for two years under Jacques Torres, an expert in the chocolate industry, at his factory in Brooklyn, New York. [1] [7] [8] Velez moved from New York to Washington, D.C., in 2016 to work as a pastry chef at Milk Bar under chef Christina Tosi. [1] [7] With her gained experience, Velez transitioned to the position of Lead Pastry Cook at D.C. restaurant Arroz. [1] [9] She also functioned as the pastry chef for the Iron Gate Restaurant in 2018, and for Kith/Kin in 2019. [1] [9] Velez led the kitchen at Compass Rose and Michelin-starred Maydan while serving as the restaurant’s Executive Pastry Chef. [1] [9] After being furloughed during the Covid-19 pandemic, Velez joined Food&Wine Magazine to create the online streaming show, “Pastries with Paola, '' in which she shares recipes inspired by her Dominican heritage. [8] [10]
In April 2020 Velez co-founded the donut pop-up shop Doña Dona with Daniella Senior, founder of the Cuban cafe Colada Shop and the cocktail bar Serenata. [9] [11] Doña Dona raised around $1,100 that was donated to Ayunda D.C., an organization providing social and legal support for D.C. immigrants. [2] [12] After Doña Dona’s success, Velez co-founded Bakers Against Racism, a movement raising money for racial justice organization through baking, with pastry chef Willa Pelini. [2] [7] Velez also enlisted chef Rob Rubba to create graphic designs to garner support for the organization over social media. [2] Through their posts, the chefs were able to virtually gather bakers from across the country to create their own bake sales supporting racial justice advocacy. [2] Since its launch in 2020, Bakers Against Racism has gained more than 3,000 participants in over 200 U.S. cities and raised over $2 million for organizations supporting Black Lives Matter. [1] [13] Bakers Against Racism has been recognized as the largest bake sale in history, raising millions of dollars. [14]
2021 Food & Wine Best New Chef [1] [4]
2021 InStyle 50 Women Making the World a Better Place [1] [15]
2021 Time Out Magazine Woman of the Year [1] [16]
2021 Washington Business Journal Diversity in Business Award Winner [1] [17]
2020 James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef Finalist [1] [18]
2020 Esquire Pastry Chef of the Year Winner [1] [19]
2020 Washingtonian Magazine 100 Best Winner [1] [20]