Chef David Guas
Learn about Chef David Guas, a Louisiana-born chef and James Beard Award finalist behind Bayou Bakery in Arlington, VA, known for New Orleans-inspired cuisine.
Louisiana Roots
Raised in Louisiana, Guas grew up surrounded by Southern foodways and home cooking traditions. Time spent in Abbeville with family helped shape his early culinary foundation, especially learning the treasured skill of making a proper roux and classic Cajun and Creole cooking techniques.
Culinary Career
Guas began his career as an associate pastry chef at the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans.
He later moved to Washington, D.C., joining Passion Food Hospitality - DC Coast, TenPenh, Ceiba, District Commons, and PassionFish - as executive pastry chef, eventually becoming corporate pastry chef overseeing dessert programs across multiple acclaimed restaurants.
Cookbooks & Media
After Hurricane Katrina, Guas wrote Dam Good Sweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style, a James Beard Award finalist featured by Food & Wine and other national outlets.
He also authored Grill Nation, inspired by his time as a host and judge of the Travel Channel series American Grilled.
Guas has appeared on Chopped as a judge, The Today Show, CNN, and other national food programs throughout his career.
Community Work
Chef Guas is deeply involved in food access and relief efforts.
He has worked with World Central Kitchen, including cooking meals for Ukrainian refugees at the onset of the war.
He also co-founded Chefs Feeding Families with Real Food for Kids during the COVID-19 pandemic to support food-insecure communities.
Today
Chef Guas currently leads Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery in Arlington, Virginia with his loyal, veteran team from the beginning.
Guas has opened his second concept in Mclean, Virginia - Neutral Ground Bar + Kitchen - with a lens into the cultures that inspired American cuisine.
His cooking blends New Orleans tradition, Southern comfort food, and scratch-made baking rooted in hospitality and community.
Books
Dam Good Sweets: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style
By David Guas, Raquel Pelzel
Grill Nation: 200 Surefire Recipes, Tips, and Techniques to Grill Like a pro
By David Guas