About

Photo by Shannon Sturgis

Pastry Chef Joseph Baker has lived all over North America, but claims Roundup, Montana as his hometown.  It was forty-five minutes to the nearest McDonald's, so most meals were prepared at home.  In his parents' small town kitchen, Baker developed an appreciation for "simple food, done well."

When Operation Iraqi Freedom began, Baker left Montana to join the military.  After four years of service, he landed in Washington, DC and decided to revisit his love for cooking.  The discipline and precision he cultivated as a solider in the U.S. Army lent itself well to a career in pastry, so he enrolled at L'Academie de Cuisine to learn classical French preparations using whole, natural ingredients. 

Over the past five years, Baker has worked in a number of prestigious hotel restaurants, including Cityzen in Washington, DC; Las Canarias and Ostra on the San Antonio Riverwalk; and the iconic Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, Texas.  He set up the pastry department at the RK Group; helped open Texas Spice and Spoon Bar and Kitchen; and spent a summer eating his way through Mexico City.

Currently, Chef Baker is taking a break from the restaurant scene and sharing his pastry knowledge with the students of Le Cordon Bleu in Dallas, Texas.  He is also available for consulting, private events, and special orders in the Dallas Fort Worth area - email chefjoebaker {at} gmail {dot} com for more information.