Ghaya Oliveira has been turning heads since her first days as a pastry chef, when she traded in a successful career as a stock broker to train in this intricate art. Ghaya has been with The Dinex Group for more than 15 years, originally joining the team at Café Boulud under Executive Pastry Chef Remy Funfrock. Upon opening the Lyonnais bistro Bar Boulud in 2007, Daniel Boulud recruited Ghaya for her first Executive Pastry Chef role. When neighboring Mediterranean concept Boulud Sud opened in 2011, Ghaya was charged with overseeing both restaurants’ pastry programs. It was during this time that Ghaya also created once of her most iconic desserts – the Grapefruit Givré.
In 2013, Ghaya was named Executive Pastry Chef at restaurant DANIEL, and has since received numerous accolades on her road to James Beard stardom. In the words of Chef Daniel, “This was the most beautiful moment; no one deserves this award more than Ghaya. Hers is a success story that I never tire of telling—pastry was not her first career, and she's worked her way up within the organization. She is a rare culinary talent, constantly growing and innovating, and precisely the type of chef I trust to helm my flagship restaurant."