Paola Velez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paola Velez
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| Education | Le Cordon Bleu |
| Occupation | Pastry chef |
| Organization | Bakers Against Racism |
Paola Velez (born December 16, 1990) is a talented pastry chef and a champion for fairness. She grew up in New York and has roots in the Dominican Republic. Paola has worked at famous restaurants like Milk Bar and Maydan in Washington, D.C.. She also helped start a group called Bakers Against Racism and a donut shop called Doña Dona in 2020.
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Early Life and Inspiration
Paola Velez grew up in The Bronx, New York. Her mother worked as an accountant for a Tex-Mex restaurant. This restaurant was owned by her mother's cousin.
Every summer, Paola visited her grandparents. They lived in their family home in the Dominican Republic. During these trips, she learned to love fresh fruits and vegetables. She also learned how to grow her own food. Her grandmother's home cooking taught her a lot about food.
Becoming a Chef
Paola Velez studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando, Florida. She graduated from the cooking school in 2009. After graduating, Paola spent two years learning from Jacques Torres. He is a famous expert in making chocolate. She worked at his factory in Brooklyn, New York.
In 2016, Paola moved to Washington, D.C.. She became a pastry chef at Milk Bar. There, she worked under chef Christina Tosi. With her new skills, Paola became the Lead Pastry Cook at Arroz restaurant. She also worked as the pastry chef for Iron Gate Restaurant in 2018. In 2019, she worked at Kith/Kin.
Paola also led the kitchen at Compass Rose. She was the Executive Pastry Chef at Maydan, a restaurant with a special Michelin star award. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she started an online show. It was called Pastries with Paola for Food&Wine Magazine. In this show, she shares recipes inspired by her Dominican background.
Making a Difference
Paola Velez is also a social justice activist. This means she works to make things fair for everyone.
Doña Dona
In April 2020, Paola helped create a donut shop called Doña Dona. She started it with Daniella Senior. Daniella founded the Cuban cafe Colada Shop. Doña Dona raised about $1,100. This money was given to Ayunda D.C. This group helps immigrants in Washington, D.C.
Bakers Against Racism
After Doña Dona's success, Paola co-founded Bakers Against Racism. She started it with pastry chef Willa Pelini. This movement raises money for groups that fight for racial justice. They do this through bake sales.
Paola also asked chef Rob Rubba for help. He created designs for social media. These designs helped get more people to join. Through their online posts, chefs from all over the country joined in. They held their own bake sales to support racial justice.
Since it started in 2020, Bakers Against Racism has grown a lot. More than 3,000 bakers have joined. They are in over 200 cities across the U.S. They have raised over $2 million for groups that support Black Lives Matter. Bakers Against Racism is known as the largest bake sale ever. It has raised millions of dollars.
Awards and Recognition
Paola Velez has received many awards for her work:
- 2021 Food & Wine Best New Chef
- 2021 InStyle 50 Women Making the World a Better Place
- 2021 Time Out Magazine Woman of the Year
- 2021 Washington Business Journal Diversity in Business Award Winner
- 2020 James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef Finalist
- 2020 Esquire Pastry Chef of the Year Winner
- 2020 Washingtonian Magazine 100 Best Winner
