Born and raised in the Bronx, Pastry Chef Shaun Velez graduated from the French Culinary Institute, now known as the Institute of Culinary Education, in 2008. Following his studies, he established his career in the award-winning kitchens of Chef Daniel Boulud, where he worked closely with his mentor and James Beard Award winning pastry chef Ghaya Oliveira at both Boulud Sud and Restaurant DANIEL. Before making his way back to New York, Shaun spent some time in Boston as the Executive Pastry Chef at Deuxave, chef-owner Chris Coombs's contemporary French restaurant. There, he brought new skills, flavors and concepts to the restaurant's pastry program and Boston's overall dessert scene.

In 2018, Shaun returned to the Daniel Boulud family, this time as the Executive Pastry Chef at Café Boulud. Two years later, Chef Daniel tapped Shaun for the Executive Pastry Chef position at his acclaimed restaurant DANIEL. As Pastry Chef at DANIEL, Shaun continues to hone his craft by employing innovative techniques to transform classic desserts into modern creations, working on stunning constructions with the very best ingredients he can find.

In this episode we discuss:

• How Shaun first became interested in the culinary world
• His experience of attending culinary school, and the opportunities it provided
• Shaun's first experience working at in one of Chef Daniel Boulud's restaurants
• His first Executive Pastry Chef position at Deuxave in Boston
• How he landed his dream job at Restaurant DANIEL
• His signature style and some of the desserts on his current menu
• What direction he thinks modern pastry in the U.S. will go
• His views on work-life balance
• And much more!

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