Acclaimed Pastry Chef and Activist Paola Velez Envisions the Kitchen of the Future
Velez recently helped lead the world’s largest bake sale—which raised $2 million for social justice causes. Now, she discusses how restaurants should rebuild and restructure after the pandemic.
Velez recently helped lead the world’s largest bake sale—which raised $2 million for social justice causes. Now, she discusses how restaurants should rebuild and restructure after the pandemic.
An Afro-Dominican woman from the Bronx, Paola Velez graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in 2009 before going on to work as sous chef to household-name chocolatier Jacques Torres in New York City. She was earning acclaim for her work in the kitchen at Kith and Kin in Washington, D.C., when the pandemic struck, and she was furloughed without pay in April. The sting lasted only so long—in May she found out she was a finalist for the James Beard Rising Star Chef Award—and she made good use of her free time.
After the police killing of George Floyd later that month, Velez cofounded Bakers Against Racism, an international movement that rallies pastry chefs and home bakers to host bake sales for social justice causes.
By year’s end, she had landed a new role as executive pastry chef at D.C. restaurateur Rose Previte’s Maydan and Compass Rose while also opening her own shop, La Bodega Bakery, which has won fans with dulce de leche babka and plantain sticky buns.
What does Paola Velez’s dream kitchen look like? Here’s how she describes it: "My ideal kitchen would be in a loft designed in a modern French cottage-core style. It would have a mix of rustic details and stainless-steel fixtures side-by-side, a kitchen island with a built-in dishwasher, and a double-oven range with a huge six-burner gas stovetop."
Photo: Mike Perry
We caught up with Velez to talk about her new venture, how she would design her dream kitchen, and the intersection of baking and advocacy.
Dwell: La Bodega Bakery has an unusual business model. Can you explain?
Velez: La Bodega Bakery is an homage to all the wonderful snacks and treats I got to experience from different cultures across New York City and in my travels, but I had to adapt the concept to today’s realities. Bakeries traditionally bake hundreds of pieces to fill their display cases, and they rely on a mix of wholesale and walk-in business to survive. Anything that is unsold gets donated or thrown out.
In the midst of the pandemic, with restaurants operating on razor-thin margins, this wasn’t a possibility. By moving into an online presale model—inspired by limited-release sneakers, which I love—I can limit food waste and drum up interest.
Dwell: How would you like the restaurant industry to rebuild and restructure?
Velez: I think both restaurants and consumers need to be committed to changing how we interact. At its core, this means paying more for your food. Traditionally, we as consumers have been significantly underpaying for the quality of food and service we receive. This has encouraged and enabled systems that exploit and underpay staff. Paying staff $3 an hour with the promise of tips is no longer realistic and far from equitable. We’ll likely see increased prices and service charges to cover basics like health care and a livable wage for all staff.
"I’d have an indoor edible micro-herb garden, my own chocolate tempering machine, and, of course, an ice cream machine. Also, it would need a nice hood system to keep the atmosphere fresh. And lots of art on the walls with pops of vibrant color," adds Velez, describing her dream kitchen space.
Photo: Mike Perry
Dwell: How did Bakers Against Racism (BAR) come about?
Velez: I was furloughed fairly early in the pandemic, and, for the first time, I found myself with time off. I ended up opening a doughnut pop-up, Doña Dona, to raise funds for Ayuda D.C., a local nonprofit that helps the undocumented community. I then took the lessons I learned and, in partnership with two D.C. chefs, started Bakers Against Racism.
BAR gave professional chefs and home cooks a banner to unite under and a way to use their baked goods for good. We provided simple tools, logistics, and educational materials and challenged folks to host hyper-local bake sales to raise funds for programs working to advance racial equity, combat racism, and protect Black lives. In the first activation [there have been three as of February], more than 2,400 people in more than 40 states and 15 countries collectively raised nearly $2 million.
Ultimately, I think through BAR and the broader baking efforts, people have come to realize the power they have to raise awareness and funds in support of important causes.
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