Paola Velez

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 of 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]