​We welcome you to a fun and immersive evening to celebrate Paola Velez’s much-anticipated cookbook, Bodega Bakes: Recipes for Treats and Sweets Inspired by My Corner Store!

​Join us on October 24 with superstar baker Paola Velez and Camari Mick for sweet treats and sweet books! In partnership with MOFAD @ Night, explore a co-curated night market where you'll savor an array of delectable creations from some of NYC's most beloved pastry chefs. Each bite is inspired by the flavors of Paola's cookbook, offering a unique culinary experience.

​You'll also hear Paola and Camari discuss Paola's creative process and the Bronx bodegas that inspired the book. Following the talk, be sure to grab a copy of Bodega Bakes and get it signed by Paola!

​What's included with your ticket

• ​small bites curated by BEM + Paola Velez from local pastry chefs

• ​discounted access to MOFAD's sensory exhibition, Flavor: The World To Your Brain

​More About the Book

​A baking book bursting with joy that will have you hightailing it to the oven--and planning a trip to your local corner store.

​Bodega Bakes is a love letter to Paola's Dominican heritage and her New York City roots; its more than 100 recipes burst with distinctive flavors, inviting you to enjoy new takes on her childhood favorites and yours. Paola's combination of classical training and self-taught pastry skills means her recipes are accessible no matter your skill level.

With renditions of traditional Caribbean desserts like Pineapple Empanadillas and Golden Rum Cake, alongside twists on classic American treats like sticky buns and brownies, Paola's unique recipes and infectious positive spirit will help you recreate the magic of the bodega at home--BYO cat.

​More About the Participants

​Paola Velez is a pastry chef and social justice activist from New York with Dominican heritage. She has worked for restaurants such as Milk Bar and Maydan in Washington, D.C., and she co-founded the organization Bakers Against Racism, as well as the donut pop-up shop Doña Dona in 2020.

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​Camari Mick is the executive pastry chef at both The Musket Room, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Nolita, and is the Executive Pastry Chef/Partner at Raf’s, a French & Italian bakery, restaurant and café from the same owner.  Camari was a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree for 2024, and made Eater’s 2023 roster of “New York’s New Guard of Pastry Chefs,”. In 2024, she received her third consecutive James Beard Award semi-finalist nod for Outstanding Pastry Chef, and she’s been honored as one of Dine Diaspora’s distinguished Black Women in Food ‘Culinarians.’

​More About BEM

​BEM | books & more is a literary destination at the intersection of food and Blackness. Established by two sisters in January 2021 as an online bookstore, BEM is proud to serve as a home for readers, writers, cooks, and eaters passionate about Black cultures in all their diversity. Taking an expansive approach to the nexus of food, literature, and culture, BEM celebrates Black food by bringing works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry for readers of all ages into conversation with cookbooks and culinary studies to explore how what feeds us defines us.

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