Dolester Miles facts for kids

Dolester "Dol" Miles, born in 1957, is a famous American pastry chef. She has been recognized many times for her amazing desserts. She works as the head pastry chef at Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham, Alabama, a restaurant owned by Frank Stitt. In May 2018, she won a special award from the James Beard Foundation, naming her the Outstanding Pastry Chef.

Dolester Miles' Early Life

Dolester Miles was born in Victoria, Texas, in 1957. She grew up in Bessemer, Alabama. From her mother, Cora Mae, she learned how to bake classic Southern desserts. These included delicious treats like pecan pie, lemon meringue pie, and peach cobbler. After finishing Wenonah High School in 1975, she went to college. She studied computer science at Alabama A&M University and Lawson State Community College. To help pay for her studies, she started working as a cook in Homewood, Alabama.

Becoming a Top Pastry Chef

In 1982, a chef named Frank Stitt opened Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham. He hired Dolester and her older sister, Diane, to work as cooks. Dolester slowly worked her way up to become the main pastry chef at the restaurant. Later, she started making all the desserts for Stitt's other restaurants too. These included Bottega, Bottega Cafe, and Chez Fonfon.

Awards and Recognition

Dolester Miles has been a finalist for the James Beard Award for outstanding pastry chef three times. She was a finalist in 2016, 2017, and 2018. In May 2018, she finally won the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef. This is a very important award in the food world.

In 2018, a documentary film called "Dol" was made about her. It was directed by Ava Lowery. Her dessert recipes have also been featured in many magazines and cookbooks. These include Southern Living and cookbooks written by Frank Stitt. She is especially known for her amazing strawberry shortcake, lemon meringue tart, and coconut pecan cake.