{"id":20831,"date":"2026-02-05T17:52:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T17:52:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2026\/02\/05\/dominique-ansel-on-turning-beauty-inspiration-into-pastry-sweet-treats\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T17:52:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T17:52:52","slug":"dominique-ansel-on-turning-beauty-inspiration-into-pastry-sweet-treats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2026\/02\/05\/dominique-ansel-on-turning-beauty-inspiration-into-pastry-sweet-treats\/","title":{"rendered":"Dominique Ansel on Turning Beauty Inspiration Into Pastry Sweet Treats"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dominique Ansel. Brent Herrig Photography \u00a9 2016<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pastry chef Dominique Ansel<\/a> knows his way around a beautiful dessert. The 48-year-old French culinary guru is the creator of some of the most viral sweet treats<\/a> across America, from the Cronut, a croissant-doughnut hybrid that had hundreds of people lining up for hours when it first launched in 2013, to frozen s\u2019mores, Cookies Shots and the DKA (Dominique\u2019s Kouign Amann), which he confesses is his personal favorite.<\/span><\/p>\n

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That is all to say: when Ansel works on a new product, the masses pay attention.<\/span><\/p>\n

Case in point: a new custom linzer cookie inspired by pink nail colors, created in collaboration with beauty brand Sally Hansen<\/a> and celebrity nail artists Kim Truong<\/a> and Mei Kawajiri<\/a>, who have worked with the likes of Kim Kardashian<\/a>, Kerry Washington<\/a> and FKA Twigs<\/a>, among others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The new cookie\u2014set to launch this Thursday, February 5\u2014is made with edible food coloring and glitter and it will be available at the Dominique Ansel Bakery<\/a> on Spring Street, as well as for nationwide shipping.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Dominique Ansel has always been inspired by beauty. Nico Fernandez-Kiray<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although, at first impact, a cookie inspired by a nail color sounds off-the-mark for Ansel, the pastry chef notes that beauty-related products have always been a big inspiration to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have always looked at fashion, art and beauty and translated it to food,\u201d Ansel tells<\/span> Observer. \u201cIt\u2019s not always obvious. You have to break it down. Color can be a great source of inspiration and, when it comes to fashion, I look at the dress, the shape, the pattern. Beauty, on the other hand, is something that makes you feel good\u2014and so is food.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

How appealing a pastry looks also serves the social media-savvy audience that many businesses rely on when looking for customers\u2014a fact that isn\u2019t lost on Ansel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Dominique Ansel Bakery is behind many a viral dessert. Thomas Schauer<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe industry has changed, and we have changed as well, because there are new expectations and new things that people enjoy,\u201d he says. \u201cYou can\u2019t do the same thing forever. I remember the pastries I made 15 years ago when I first opened a bakery\u2014they\u2019re completely different from what I make today. They\u2019re lighter, use a lot less sugar, are a bit healthier and more visually appealing. The generation consuming these is changing and we have to embrace that to make sure we stay relevant.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pastry shops in general are visual microcosms that rely on a treat\u2019s beauty to attract patrons.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn restaurants, servers can tell you the beautiful stories behind why things are made a certain way but when you have a bakery, you don\u2019t have that luxury,\u201d says Ansel. \u201cPastries are static. They\u2019re in a pastry case. People are on line so the [treats] have to look significantly different to make you stop, think and say \u2018what goes into making this?’\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That attention to detail is also what Ansel looks for when tasting fellow pastry chefs\u2019 creations, ultimately informing his own list of favorite treats around town.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have a soft spot for tiramisu, and Bar Primi<\/a> has one of the best in the city,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s just excellent every time I eat it\u2014soft, light, simple. I do love simplicity. It\u2019s how I indulge myself, and tiramisu always does it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In many ways, that devotion to simplicity captures Ansel\u2019s own approach, which always leads to a visually striking but never overworked pastry, one rooted in technique yet open to inspiration from anywhere\u2014even a bottle of nail polish. His sweet dishes may have changed throughout the years, but Ansel\u2019s passion for the art of baking and his commitment to process have remained constant: a through-line that helps explain why his work continues to resonate, decade after decade.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Dominique<\/p><\/div>\n