Paola Velez

Paola Velez is an award-winning chef, entrepreneur, community activist and soon to be author—her debut cookbook is set to publish in the fall of 2024. Growing up between the Bronx and the Dominican Republic, Velez is known for combining the flavors of her childhood and heritage and reinterpreting them through her years as a professionally trained pastry chef. Her ingenious creation of pecan-plantain sticky buns catapulted her to the pages of Food & Wine—where she was also named a "Best New Chef"—and brought her national recognition in the form of a Rising Star Chef nomination by the James Beard Foundation and “Pastry Chef of the Year'' from Esquire. Velez created the viral, grassroots and (unofficially) largest bake sale in the world with Bakers Against Racism, a lighthouse organization raising millions of dollars for crucial social justice causes. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, Velez started her culinary career under famed chocolatier Jacques Torres. She then moved to Washington, D.C. to work with Christina Tosi when Milk Bar first entered the market and has since cooked in some of the city’s most acclaimed kitchens. With her infectious positivity, quirky social media videos and keen eye on the micro-trends of the moment, Velez is a sought-after chef with appearances on the HBO Max shows “Selena + Chef” and “What Am I Eating” with Zooey Deschanel. She lives in the D.C.-area with her husband.