La Liste, the independent restaurant guide based in France, announced their Special Award winners for 2024 including Restaurant DANIEL’s Executive Pastry Chef, Shaun Velez, who was named Pastry Chef of the Year for 2024.
Shaun Velez of Restaurant Daniel: La Liste’s ‘Pastry Chef of the Year
The award, sponsored by Cacao Barry, annually recognizes a pastry chef for their creativity and innovation, as a part of La Liste’s ongoing mission to highlight outstanding achievements in the culinary industry.
“The team at Restaurant Daniel and I are proud of Chef Shaun to receive acknowledgement on a global scale for his hard work and inventive outlook. It is such a great reward for his loyalty, creativity and leadership at Restaurant Daniel’ said Chef Daniel Boulud. “This award comes during a special year for the restaurant as we just celebrated our 30th anniversary. Pastry is such a crucial part of the guest experience at Restaurant DANIEL and none of those achievements would be possible without Chef Shaun’s contributions. I’m tremendously proud to call him a member of our team.”
“I am honored to have been selected for this very special award and want to thank the La Liste team for recognizing my work,” said Executive Pastry Chef Shaun Velez. “Being able to push boundaries with the support of Chef Daniel and our team has further fueled my passion for creativity in the pastry field. I’m encouraged by where the industry is headed and hope to continue to shape that direction with my vision of staying true to the classics while maintaining a lightness and elegance in my desserts.”
Chef Velez started with Chef Daniel Boulud’s Dinex Group in 2010 shortly after graduating from the French Culinary Institute, now known as the International Culinary Center. After a few years in Boston, Chef Velez returned to New York and eventually joined the team at Chef Boulud’s namesake Restaurant DANIEL in 2020.
Read Also: Transformation of MO Bar + Lounge at Mandarin Oriental Miami.
As Executive Pastry Chef at DANIEL, Chef Velez uses innovative techniques to transform classic desserts into modern creations, resulting in stunning constructions made from the finest ingredients.
The 2024 Special Award Winners were honored at a ceremony in Paris, France on November 20, 2023.
