Kaitlin Guerin

OWNER & PASTRY CHEF, LAGNIAPPE BAKING

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, USA

Kaitlin Guerin is a New Orleans-based Pastry Chef with an artistic dance background and an affinity for creativity and science. After attending the pastry program at The Culinary Institute of America and working in Michelin-star kitchens in Denmark and California, Guerin returned home to New Orleans just before the pandemic to ground herself and be closer to family.

She began her pastry pop-up, Lagniappe Baking, during the pandemic, selling exquisite yet nostalgic pastry boxes that celebrate and reconnect the black foodways of the South through local, seasonal ingredients. Lagniappe is a term used in Louisiana to mean “a little something extra.”

Guerin was awarded Louisiana Cookin’ magazine’s “Chefs to Watch” in 2021 and in 2022 Star Chefs Rising Stars Pastry Chef award, an organization that recognizes chefs - not only for their exceptional food and drink - but also for their ability to lead, inspire, and support the local community. Guerin is also a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier New Orleans chapter, an international philanthropic organization of women leaders in food, beverage, and hospitality.