A pastry chef who spent a decade earning her stripes in New York’s most demanding kitchens is heading south — and taking a homecoming story straight into one of the most talked-about restaurants in America. Amanda Perdomo, a Dominique Ansel alum and 2023 StarChefs New York Rising Stars Award winner, has returned to Louisiana to lead the pastry and bread programs at Dolfy’s, Chef Adolfo Garcia Jr.’s Basque-inspired restaurant in Uptown New Orleans.
The timing couldn’t be sharper. Dolfy’s was recently named to The New York Times’ Best Restaurants in America 2026 list — the kind of recognition that puts a kitchen under a microscope and raises the stakes on every course. Though Perdomo was raised in the New Orleans area, this move marks her first time cooking professionally in her home state.
From Dominique Ansel to a New Orleans Homecoming
Perdomo’s résumé reads like a tour of New York’s most respected dining rooms. She began her pastry career at Dominique Ansel in 2015, then sharpened her skills at Del Posto, Altro Paradiso and Flora Bar. She went on to lead pastry at Wildair and Contra before becoming the opening pastry chef and dessert consultant for Kellogg’s Diner — where her strawberry pretzel salad earned a spot in Eater New York’s 2025 guide to the city’s best desserts.
She later helped launch the pastry program at JR & Son and, most recently, created Amanda’s Good Morning Cafe, a Brooklyn residency at Strange Delight inspired by the Louisiana flavors and food memories of her childhood. That residency, as it turns out, pointed her back home.
Southern Ingredients Meet Spanish Technique
At Dolfy’s, Perdomo’s Southern roots meet the restaurant’s Spanish and Basque foundation — a pairing that gives her room to experiment while staying anchored in local agriculture. Her philosophy centers on seasonality and the relationships between cooks and growers.
“I spent so many years away from Louisiana learning, working and figuring out who I am as a chef. Coming home has given me a different appreciation for the ingredients and traditions I grew up with. There’s so much here that I want to explore, especially working with local farmers and ingredients indigenous to the South. At Dolfy’s, I’m bringing those influences together with Spanish flavors and techniques. I want the desserts to feel thoughtful and personal, but most importantly, I want people to really enjoy eating them,” said Perdomo.
While her dessert menu is constantly evolving with seasonal availability, three signatures stay put:
Manchego and Olive Oil Cake with seasonal fruit
Basque Cheesecake
Churros y Chocolate
Around those staples, rotating seasonal desserts reflect what’s coming off local farms and markets, letting the menu shift throughout the year.
Small-Batch Ice Creams and Sorbets
An equally ambitious part of the program is Perdomo’s selection of housemade ice creams and sorbets — made in small batches with locally sourced and foraged ingredients, and without commercial stabilizers. Some flavors require two to three days of preparation thanks to a slow infusion process. Rotating creations include salted honey ice cream with fudge ripple; chocolate espresso sorbet finished with Spanish olive oil and Maldon salt; and orange-passion fruit sorbet accented with olive oil and Espelette pepper.
Her commitment to local sourcing is personal, too. Perdomo plans to incorporate satsumas grown by her parents in Lacombe, across Lake Pontchartrain, alongside produce sourced from area farmers and markets.
A Wood-Fired Bread Program From First Bite
Beyond dessert, Perdomo oversees Dolfy’s wood-fired bread program — an integral part of the dining experience. The lineup includes wood-fired sourdough, pan de cristal served throughout the menu, and a flatbread fired à la minute during service, arriving fresh from the oven. Like her desserts, the breads balance careful technique with the pleasure of food served at its peak.
Perdomo’s path to Dolfy’s began in New York, when Garcia and his partner, Sophia Petrou Garcia, visited one of her culinary residencies. Impressed, Garcia offered her a position on the spot and later invited her to New Orleans for a pop-up that paved the way for her return.
“Sophia and I met Amanda in New York, and after tasting her food, I knew I wanted her to be part of what we were building at Dolfy’s. She’s an incredibly talented chef with a strong point of view, and she understands how to make something technically sophisticated feel approachable and delicious. What’s exciting is that she’s bringing all of that experience back home and reconnecting with the ingredients she grew up around. We’ve given her the freedom to make this program her own, and what she’s creating adds another dimension to the restaurant,” said Garcia.
Why It Matters
For restaurant operators and chefs, Perdomo’s arrival at Dolfy’s is a case study in two trends worth watching. First, the pastry hire as a differentiator: a national accolade like a spot on The New York Times’ Best Restaurants list raises expectations across the whole menu, and a marquee pastry and bread program — from the first bite of bread to the final course — is increasingly how ambitious restaurants justify the destination visit.
Second, the pull of hyper-local sourcing as a creative and storytelling asset. Perdomo’s use of satsumas from her parents’ Lacombe grove, foraged ingredients and farm-market produce isn’t just supply-chain strategy — it’s a narrative that resonates with guests and gives the menu a sense of place money can’t buy. For operators, the takeaway is clear: a distinctive dessert and bread program, built on local relationships and a real point of view, is a competitive edge, not an afterthought.
For talent, it’s also a reminder that the career arc no longer runs one way toward the coasts. Returning home with big-city technique — and reconnecting with regional ingredients — is becoming its own marketable story.
Craving more chef moves and dessert trends? Explore our coverage of the dessert trends shaping what’s next and the latest executive chef homecomings across the industry. Have a favorite chef comeback story? Weigh in below.
Dolfy’s, located at 4508 Freret Street in Uptown New Orleans, serves dinner Wednesday–Sunday from 5PM–10PM. For reservations and more, visit www.dolfys.com.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
Dining and Cooking