Dominique Ansel is the French-American pastry chef and restaurateur widely credited as the creator of the Cronut, the croissant-doughnut hybrid pastry he launched at Dominique Ansel Bakery in SoHo, New York, on 10 May 2013. Born 6 August 1977 in Beauvais, Oise, northern France, Ansel trained at the culinary school in Rouen and apprenticed at Peltier Patisserie in Paris before working in the kitchens of Fauchon, the legendary Paris luxury food brand, from 2000 to 2006. He then joined Daniel Boulud’s Daniel in New York as executive pastry chef from 2006 to 2011 before opening Dominique Ansel Bakery on Spring Street in SoHo in November 2011.
Ansel’s 2026 portfolio includes Dominique Ansel Bakery SoHo New York (flagship), Dominique Ansel Workshop Tokyo, Dominique Ansel Las Vegas at Caesars Palace, and the new Papa d’Amour restaurant in New York that opened in early 2026. The April 2026 Cronut flavour is Vietnamese Coffee, continuing the monthly flavour-rotation programme launched with the original Cronut 13 years ago. His new cookbook Life’s Sweetest Moments was published in 2025-2026, and the 2023 Cronut 10-year anniversary marked a decade of the pastry. He was named Outstanding Pastry Chef at the James Beard Foundation Awards in 2014 and is one of the most-recognised French-American pastry figures internationally.
TL;DR
- French-American pastry chef born 6 August 1977 in Beauvais, Oise, France
- Trained in Rouen; apprenticed at Peltier Paris; Fauchon Paris 2000-2006
- Executive pastry chef at Daniel New York under Daniel Boulud 2006-2011
- Opened Dominique Ansel Bakery, Spring Street SoHo, November 2011
- Launched Cronut on 10 May 2013; James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef 2014
- Early 2026: Opens Papa d’Amour NYC; April 2026 Cronut flavour Vietnamese Coffee
Dominique Ansel key facts
| Born | 6 August 1977, Beauvais, Oise, France |
| Nationality | French-American |
| Training | Culinary school Rouen; Peltier Patisserie Paris; Fauchon Paris 2000-2006; Daniel NY 2006-2011 |
| Flagship bakery | Dominique Ansel Bakery, 189 Spring Street, SoHo, New York (opened November 2011) |
| Signature creation | The Cronut (launched 10 May 2013; croissant-doughnut hybrid) |
| 2026 venues | SoHo NY flagship; Workshop Tokyo; Las Vegas at Caesars Palace; new Papa d’Amour NYC early 2026 |
| Major award | James Beard Foundation Outstanding Pastry Chef 2014 |
Early life and training of Dominique Ansel
Ansel was born on 6 August 1977 in Beauvais, a small city in the Oise department of northern France, about 85 kilometres north of Paris. He grew up in a working-class family with limited financial means, an experience he has cited in multiple interviews as formative for his later work ethic and his approach to building a bakery business from modest beginnings. As a teenager he enrolled at the culinary school in Rouen in Normandy to train in pastry, a traditional French vocational path.
After completing his pastry training Ansel apprenticed at Peltier Patisserie in Paris, one of the venerable Paris luxury pastry houses, through the late 1990s. In 2000 at age 23 he joined Fauchon, the legendary Paris luxury food brand founded in 1886 on Place de la Madeleine, and worked there for six years. At Fauchon, Ansel reached senior pastry positions and participated in the brand’s international expansion, including extended stays in Russia and Egypt as Fauchon opened international outposts during the early 2000s.
In 2006 at age 29 Ansel moved to New York to join Daniel Boulud‘s Daniel on East 65th Street as executive pastry chef. The five-year Daniel New York period (2006-2011) gave him access to the highest level of American French fine dining and positioned him at the centre of the New York fine-dining conversation. He left Daniel in 2011 to open his own bakery, Dominique Ansel Bakery, on Spring Street in SoHo in November 2011, and on 10 May 2013 launched the Cronut.
Dominique Ansel career timeline
- 6 August 1977: Born in Beauvais, Oise, France
- Mid-1990s: Trains at the culinary school in Rouen, Normandy
- Late 1990s: Apprentices at Peltier Patisserie in Paris
- 2000: Joins Fauchon in Paris at age 23
- 2000-2006: Works at Fauchon Paris; international stays including Russia and Egypt
- 2006: Joins Daniel in New York as executive pastry chef under Daniel Boulud
- November 2011: Opens Dominique Ansel Bakery on Spring Street, SoHo, New York
- 10 May 2013: Launches the Cronut at Dominique Ansel Bakery
- 2013: Cronut becomes internationally famous; queues form around the SoHo block
- 2014: Wins James Beard Foundation Outstanding Pastry Chef award
- 2015: Opens Dominique Ansel Kitchen on West 7th Avenue in the West Village (second NYC location)
- 2015: Opens Dominique Ansel Bakery Tokyo (later Workshop Tokyo)
- 2016: Opens Dominique Ansel Bakery London (later closed)
- 2017: Publishes Everyone Can Bake cookbook
- 2018: Opens Dominique Ansel Las Vegas at Caesars Palace
- 2020-2021: London and Kitchen NYC close during the pandemic
- May 2023: Cronut 10-year anniversary marked at Dominique Ansel Bakery
- 2023: Opens Dominique Ansel Workshop Tokyo format (replaces original Tokyo bakery)
- 2025: Publishes Life’s Sweetest Moments cookbook
- Early 2026: Opens Papa d’Amour in New York as new restaurant format
- April 2026: Cronut flavour of the month is Vietnamese Coffee
- 2026: SoHo NY flagship, Tokyo Workshop, Las Vegas and Papa d’Amour continue operating
Dominique Ansel signature style: French technique with American-style hybrid creativity
Ansel’s central argument, developed at Fauchon Paris, refined at Daniel New York from 2006, and made famous at Dominique Ansel Bakery from 2011, is that classical French pastry technique can be combined with inventive hybrid creations in a format that retains French precision while welcoming unfamiliar pairings and playful presentation. The Cronut (2013), a laminated croissant dough deep-fried and filled with cream in the manner of a doughnut, was the breakthrough example. The DKA (Dominique’s Kouign Amann), the Frozen S’more, the Chocolate Chip Cookie Shot filled with cold milk, and the Magic Souffle have all extended the same approach across the subsequent decade.
The second defining element is the monthly Cronut flavour rotation. Since May 2013, Dominique Ansel Bakery has released a new Cronut flavour every month, giving the signature pastry a continual reinvention and sustaining consumer interest through more than 13 years. The April 2026 Cronut flavour is Vietnamese Coffee, and the Cronut continues to sell out daily at the SoHo NY flagship with pre-orders running more than two weeks ahead.
The third pillar is the international bakery brand. Ansel operates the SoHo NY flagship, the Tokyo Workshop, Dominique Ansel Las Vegas at Caesars Palace, and the new Papa d’Amour NYC restaurant as of 2026. The brand has built one of the most successful French-American pastry-brand businesses of the 2010s and 2020s, and sits alongside Christina Tosi‘s Milk Bar as a defining American chef-pastry-brand model.
Notable Dominique Ansel creations
Several Ansel creations have become reference points in contemporary American pastry. The Cronut (May 2013), a trademarked laminated-dough croissant-doughnut hybrid that has been through more than 150 monthly flavours, is the single most-cited pastry creation of the 2010s. The DKA (Dominique’s Kouign Amann), a caramelised laminated-dough Breton pastry, is the signature pre-Cronut Dominique Ansel Bakery item. The Frozen S’more, a campfire-inspired marshmallow-chocolate-ice-cream construction served on a wooden stick, the Chocolate Chip Cookie Shot filled with cold milk, and the Magic Souffle (a chocolate souffle with a molten centre) are all widely-copied Ansel originals. Ansel cookbooks include Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes (2014), Everyone Can Bake (2020), and the new Life’s Sweetest Moments (2025).
Dominique Ansel awards and recognition
- 2000-2006: Works at Fauchon Paris including international expansion
- 2006-2011: Executive pastry chef at Daniel New York under Daniel Boulud
- November 2011: Opens Dominique Ansel Bakery on Spring Street, SoHo, New York
- 10 May 2013: Launches the Cronut
- 2014: James Beard Foundation Outstanding Pastry Chef
- 2014: Time magazine names Cronut one of the Best Inventions of the Year
- 2017: Chef’s Table: Pastry (Netflix) features Ansel in Season 1 Episode 4
- 2018: Opens Dominique Ansel Las Vegas at Caesars Palace
- May 2023: Cronut 10-year anniversary marked at Dominique Ansel Bakery
- 2025: Publishes Life’s Sweetest Moments cookbook
- Early 2026: Opens Papa d’Amour in New York as new restaurant format
- April 2026: Cronut flavour Vietnamese Coffee; SoHo NY flagship, Tokyo Workshop, Las Vegas and Papa d’Amour continue operating
Dominique Ansel impact on American pastry
Ansel’s most concrete contribution is the Cronut launched on 10 May 2013. Within weeks the pastry had become an international sensation, with queues forming around the SoHo block in New York and international copies appearing across pastry shops worldwide. Time magazine named the Cronut one of the Best Inventions of the Year in 2014, and the original trademarked Cronut is now in its 13th year of monthly flavour rotation. The pastry is widely cited as the defining viral pastry of the 2010s and as the template for subsequent hybrid-pastry creations across the American bakery industry.
The second contribution is the Dominique Ansel Bakery brand. Since the November 2011 opening, the business has grown to four simultaneous venues across New York (SoHo flagship, Papa d’Amour 2026), Tokyo (Workshop), and Las Vegas (Caesars Palace), plus cookbook publishing and international consulting work. The brand is one of the most successful French-American pastry-brand businesses of the 2010s and 2020s, sitting alongside Christina Tosi‘s Milk Bar as a defining American chef-pastry-brand.
The third contribution is the 2014 James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef recognition, which established Ansel at the centre of the American pastry-chef conversation. The award placed him alongside other French-American-trained New York chefs including Daniel Boulud (his Daniel NY mentor) and Thomas Keller (Per Se) as defining figures of contemporary American French fine-dining pastry. Ansel continues to shape American pastry practice into 2026 through the monthly Cronut rotation, the new Papa d’Amour format, and the 2025 Life’s Sweetest Moments cookbook.
Dominique Ansel FAQ
When did Ansel invent the Cronut?
Ansel launched the Cronut at Dominique Ansel Bakery in SoHo, New York, on 10 May 2013. The Cronut is a croissant-doughnut hybrid: laminated croissant dough deep-fried in the manner of a doughnut and filled with cream. The pastry became an international sensation within weeks of launch, and Time magazine named it one of the Best Inventions of the Year in 2014.
Is the Cronut still sold?
Yes. The Cronut remains the signature pastry at Dominique Ansel Bakery SoHo NY and is sold daily with a monthly flavour rotation that began in May 2013 and has now run for more than 150 flavours across 13 years. The April 2026 Cronut flavour is Vietnamese Coffee. Pre-orders at Dominique Ansel Bakery typically run more than two weeks ahead.
Where are Ansel’s bakeries?
As of 2026, Dominique Ansel operates Dominique Ansel Bakery SoHo New York (flagship, opened November 2011), Dominique Ansel Workshop Tokyo, Dominique Ansel Las Vegas at Caesars Palace, and the new Papa d’Amour restaurant in New York that opened in early 2026. Previous venues in London and in the West Village New York (Kitchen) have closed.
Did Ansel train at Fauchon and Daniel?
Yes. After culinary school in Rouen and an apprenticeship at Peltier Patisserie in Paris, Ansel joined Fauchon Paris in 2000 and worked there for six years, including international stays in Russia and Egypt. In 2006 he moved to New York to join Daniel under Daniel Boulud as executive pastry chef, where he worked from 2006 to 2011 before opening Dominique Ansel Bakery.
What is Papa d’Amour?
Papa d’Amour is the new Ansel restaurant in New York that opened in early 2026. The venue extends the Dominique Ansel brand beyond pure pastry into a broader restaurant format. The opening coincided with the 2025 publication of Ansel’s new cookbook Life’s Sweetest Moments and was covered on his official website.
What is next for Dominique Ansel
Ansel continues to lead Dominique Ansel Bakery SoHo NY, Dominique Ansel Workshop Tokyo, Dominique Ansel Las Vegas at Caesars Palace, and the new Papa d’Amour NYC restaurant through 2026. The monthly Cronut flavour rotation continues, with Vietnamese Coffee the April 2026 flavour. His public Instagram (@dominiqueansel) is the best source for current updates.
