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Author Talk: Bodega Bakes

A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month

Join award-winning chef and James Beard Media Award winner Paola Velez as she discusses her culinary journey and acclaimed cookbook "Bodega Bakes."

For reasonable accommodations, please contact the Center for Accessibility at 202-727-2142 or DCPLaccess@dc.gov. For ASL or tactile interpretation, please allow at least seven (7) days notice.

About the Author

Paola Velez CHEF-OWNER OF PROVIDENCIA, DŌEKÏ DŌEKÏ , FOOD MEDIA PERSONALITY, FOUNDER SMALL ORCHIDS INC, BAKERS AGAINST RACISM, COOKBOOK AUTHOR

Paola Velez is an award-winning chef, author, and community leader whose work spans the kitchen, television, and international advocacy.

She is the chef-owner of the celebrated Washington, D.C. bar, Providencia, the playful pop-up concept Dōekï Dōekï, and the founder of both Small Orchids Inc. and the global baking movement Bakers Against Racism. She is also the former editor and host of Pastries with Paola for Food & Wine and a BNC scout, mentoring the next generation of culinary talent.

Raised between the Bronx and the Dominican Republic, Velez infuses the vibrant flavors of her heritage into refined, inventive dishes. Her signature pecan-plantain sticky buns from Doña Dona and La Bodega Bakery, helped earn her recognition as one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs and Esquire’s Pastry Chef of the Year among many other accolades. Her debut cookbook, Bodega Bakes, won a James Beard Foundation Media Award in 2025, underscoring her reputation as a trusted voice for the culinary industry.

A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu and alumna of chocolatier Jacques Torres’ pastry kitchen, Velez has also served as a U.S. culinary diplomat, sharing America’s diverse food traditions with audiences around the world. Television viewers know her from HBO Max’s Selena + Chef and What Am I Eating? with Zooey Deschanel, where her playful, approachable style shines.

Now based in the D.C. area with her husband, Vélez continues to champion creativity and social impact through food, inspiring cooks and communities everywhere she goes.

About the Book

A baking book bursting with joy that will have you hightailing it to the oven—and planning a trip to your local corner store.

Growing up in the Bronx, Paola Velez’s happy place was the bodega, a unique world full of color and flavor where the shelves were stocked with everything from M&M’s to Muenster cheese to majarete (Caribbean corn pudding)—and, of course, its own cat (IYKYK). Before she was a James Beard–nominated chef, Cherry Bombe cover girl, social media darling, and cofounder of the grassroots social action network Bakers Against Racism, Paola was a bodega kid with a taste for Warheads, Hostess cupcakes, ice pops, and Malta soda.  

Paola’s debut cookbook, inspired by these treasures and other ingredients available at corner stores everywhere, is a love letter to both her Dominican heritage and her New York City roots; its more than 100 recipes burst with distinctive flavors, inviting you to enjoy new takes on her childhood favorites and yours. Paola’s combination of classical training and self-taught pastry skills means her recipes are accessible no matter your skill level. She’ll be your hype girl through more ambitious projects (you can make a turnover—and a Guava and Cheese one at that), as well as more “set it and forget it” treats, like her Maria Cookie Icebox Cake. Whatever you do, don’t sleep on her signature Thick’ems—giant cookies that are somehow crunchy and gooey—the most requested recipe in Paola’s repertoire and the recipe that made her internet famous, which she shares here for the very first time. With renditions of traditional Caribbean desserts like Pineapple Empanadillas and Golden Rum Cake alongside twists on classic American treats like sticky buns and brownies, Paola’s unique recipes and infectious positive spirit will help you recreate the magic of the bodega at home—BYO cat.

Perfect for anyone who wants to create colorful, Instagram-worthy desserts in their own kitchens, Bodega Bakes transforms cherished Dominican snacks and New York bodega finds into irresistible baking recipes for home cooks of all skill levels. This quintessential New York book brings the flavors of the Bronx to kitchens everywhere, allowing readers to experience the city's multicultural heritage through more than 100 innovative, joy-filled recipes.

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