Dominique Ansel


Dominique Ansel is a French-American pastry chef and owner of Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City. He is best known for his invention of the cronut, a croissant-donut hybrid that became a phenomenon.

Early life

Raised in a working-class family in Beauvais, a small city north of Paris, Ansel is the youngest of four children. After high school, he apprenticed at local restaurants, first working in savory and then in pastry, gravitating most strongly to the scientific precision of pastry. At age 19, Ansel did his military service in French Guiana as part of a community program teaching locals how to cook.

Career

Ansel has previously served as executive pastry chef at Daniel, a two Michelin star French restaurant in New York City. He later opened Dominique Ansel Bakery in SoHo, Manhattan. His invention of the Cronut in 2013 became a widely publicized phenomenon, being named one of Time Magazine’s best inventions of the year. Soon after, he created notable pastries including the Cookie Shot, Frozen S’more, and Blossoming Hot Chocolate, among others.
He was named Best Pastry Chef in the U.S. by the James Beard Awards in 2014.
In April 2015, he opened a second shop in New York, Dominique Ansel Bakery Kitchen, with a menu of made-to-order desserts.
His Dominique Ansel Bakery London shop opened in London’s Belgravia neighborhood in September 2016, and he opened a bakery and a restaurant, 189 by Dominique Ansel, in Los Angeles in November 2017.
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards named Ansel the World’s Best Pastry Chef in 2017, making him the youngest and the first pastry chef in America to be bestowed the honor.