★Bodega Bakes: Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store. Paola VelezUnion Square & Co. Oct. 2024. 288p. ISBN 9781454952374. $35. COOKING

Velez, a James Beard Award–nominated pastry chef, enters the cookbook world with a truly compelling story. Having divided her time between her native Dominican Republic and New York City, where her family emigrated, Velez gives readers a passionate glimpse of the food and flavors of her youth, along with the sights and smells of the bodegas that shaped her childhood. Velez is not only a rising-star pastry chef but a fierce advocate too, through her work with Bakers Against Racism. Alongside stunning photographs, this book supports readers with can-do positivity, encouraging them to pursue glorious treats and untraditional flavor combinations, such as sunflower rainbow cookies or burnt tahini and Concord grape cake. Some ingredients may not be widely available, but Velez offers guidance on where to find them, as well as suggesting substitutions. It’s refreshing to find a cookbook where home cooks feel the author is standing beside them every step of the way. VERDICT Full of personality and flavor, this book will be welcome in all collections.