Paola Velez

Paola Velez is a James Beard Award–nominated pastry chef who was raised in New York City and the Dominican Republic. She is the cofounder of Bakers Against Racism, the founder of the pop-up dining series Doña Dona and Dōekï Dōekï, and the former executive pastry chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant Maydan in Washington, DC. She was named Food & Wine’s best new chef and Cherry Bombe’s “Person of the Year” in 2021, and she currently serves as a culinary diplomat for the United States. She lives in Washington, DC.