NEW ORLEANS – Kelly Jacques, co-owner and chef of Ayu Bakehouse, is among this year’s honorees for Food & Wine’s 37th annual Best New Chefs, a list spotlighting the most exciting culinary talent shaping the future of American dining. Jacques joins a lineage of Best New Chefs of New Orleans, including Nicole Cabrera Mills (2024), Ana Castro (2022), and Nina Compton (2017).
Since Jacques and her business partner, Samantha Weiss, opened Ayu in 2022, the two have made a big splash in the New Orleans bakery scene, with features in Bon Appétit, which called Ayu one of the most exciting bakeries in the country, as well as Bloomberg, The Infatuation and Vogue. Ayu continues to blend Jacques’ Southeast Asian heritage and Weiss’ New York upbringing with modern yet playful treats like the chocolate babka knots, pandan-infused kaya buns, and muffuletta breadsticks. But this accolade is as much about culinary accomplishment as it is about leadership, and Kelly is passionate about mentorship and workplace growth through programs like Ayu Schoolhouse, a paid employee benefit designed to teach entrepreneurial and practical skills.
Read the whole Best New Chefs article here.