For Chef Joseph DiPaolo, the love of pastry began in an unlikely place—over a bowl of strawberry soup. At 16, while working in a restaurant kitchen, he watched as a manager prepared the vibrant dessert, combining fresh berries with delicate precision. Something clicked. The moment was fleeting, but its impact was lasting. From that day forward, DiPaolo knew he had found his path.
Now an award-winning pastry chef, educator, and chocolatier, DiPaolo has spent nearly three decades refining his craft, leading research and development for some of the most recognizable food brands in America, and sharing his expertise with the next generation of pastry chefs. As a longtime mentor and innovator, his career spans high-end restaurants, international pastry kitchens, corporate test labs, and classrooms—each stop shaping his approach to the science and artistry of dessert.
A Culinary Calling
Born and raised in New Jersey, DiPaolo’s culinary spark was ignited long before that fateful strawberry soup. As a child, he spent hours in the kitchen with his grandmothers, fascinated by the way simple ingredients transformed into something magical. At 13, he enrolled in a middle school cooking class, marking the first step toward what would become a lifelong career. That summer, he took a job as a dishwasher at a local bakery. By the time he was in high school, he had worked his way up to a line cook position at a neighborhood restaurant.
Determined to turn his passion into a profession, DiPaolo attended the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), where he majored in baking and pastry arts. While still a student, he earned a coveted internship at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island in Florida, gaining firsthand experience in a high-caliber pastry kitchen.
After graduating in April 1996, he joined the team at the Hilton at Short Hills, crafting intricate pastries for The Dining Room, then New Jersey’s only AAA Five Diamond restaurant. The role refined his technical skills, but it was an opportunity abroad that would transform his understanding of pastry entirely.
From New Jersey to Japan: The Science of Baking
After three years at Short Hills, DiPaolo moved to Matsumoto, Japan, where he became the pastry chef for Sweet Foods. The transition wasn’t seamless. Ingredients behaved differently, requiring him to rework and rethink recipes he had once mastered. The experience deepened his appreciation for the science of baking, teaching him adaptability and precision in a way no formal training ever could.
“When you’re working in a different country, with unfamiliar ingredients, you can’t rely on muscle memory,” DiPaolo has said. “You have to understand the ‘why’ behind what you’re doing. That’s where true growth happens.”
It was a lesson that would define the next phase of his career.
Innovation in the Lab and the Classroom
Returning to the United States, DiPaolo pivoted from restaurant kitchens to research and development, joining M&M Mars as a pastry chef focused on chocolate and sugar-based products. There, he combined technical expertise with creativity, helping to develop new flavors and formulations for the iconic brand.
His passion for both innovation and education eventually led him to the classroom. After a stint in Atlanta’s restaurant scene, he became an instructor at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Tucker, Georgia. Teaching reawakened his curiosity about the science of baking, and in the years that followed, he took on a corporate role at Duncan Hines, where he led culinary development, consumer-focused brand initiatives, and emerging trend research.
A Mentor and Leader in Pastry Arts
In 2016, Dessert Professional Magazine named DiPaolo one of America’s Top Ten Pastry Chefs, an accolade that underscored his influence in the field. Today, he serves as a pastry instructor at Passaic County Technical Institute, the largest career and technical high school in New Jersey, where he continues to mentor aspiring pastry chefs.
Despite his extensive career, his philosophy remains simple: “Keep it simple and execute the technique perfectly.”
Whether working with high school students, consulting for major food brands, or crafting desserts in his own kitchen, Chef Joseph DiPaolo approaches pastry with the same sense of wonder he first felt as a teenager watching that bowl of strawberry soup take shape.
Chef DiPaolo is the partnership director of Club Coupe du Monde Team USA.
He lives in Hackettstown, New Jersey, with his wife, Linda, and their three daughters, Madison, Casey, and Lindsey.
