Dominique Ansel has gained quite a reputation on TikTok and Instagram with his viral desserts.

This has led many netizens to ask questions like, “Who is Dominique Ansel?,” and “Is Dominique Ansel married?” Many have assumed that he got famous out of social media. 

However, that is not the case.

Ansel is a well-established pastry chef with his own restaurant, Dominique Ansel Bakery and Dominique Ansel Bakery & Workshop in New York City. Moreover, he is known for his famous invention of Cronut — his signature croissant-doughnut hybrid pastry.

Here is all we know about the chef.

Dominique Ansel’s biography

Ansel was born in 1978, making his age 44-45 as of 2023. 

Ansel, who grew up in a little hamlet north of Paris, had no intention of becoming a chef. He started working at a neighborhood restaurant at the age of 16 to help support his family. 

Because his village had a free culinary school, he joined their apprenticeship program, first as a savory chef and subsequently as a pastry cook. Ansel was drawn to pastry because of its precision and scientific aspect, and he believed he had found his calling.

He completed his military duty in French Guiana, South America, at the age of 19, as part of a community program teaching people how to cook. When he returned to France, he spent all of his funds on a beat-up vehicle and traveled to Paris, leaving his resume at each bakery he could find.

Later, he was hired as one of 30 seasonal holiday workers at the famed French pastry business Fauchon. He was told that only one employee would be left at the conclusion of the season, and when the time came, he was the one who was chosen.

Ansel worked with Fauchon for over eight years, eventually becoming director of international growth, and traveling the world to create new stores. He then relocated to New York City with only two bags in 2006 to work as the Executive Pastry Chef at Daniel Boulud’s famed restaurant Daniel.

During his six years at the restaurant, it received its coveted third Michelin star as well as a four-star rating from The New York Times.

Ansel established his first shop, Dominique Ansel Bakery, on a modest Soho street in November 2011 with just four staff. The bakery became a neighborhood hotspot, serving both sweet and savory products, with pastries ruling supreme.

It was rated Time Out New York’s finest bakery and Zagat’s top-ranked bakery in the city. Signature inventions such as the DKA Dominique’s Kouign Amann (DKA) and made-to-order Madeleines rapidly became crowd pleasers.

Ansel’s most famous innovation, the Cronut, didn’t debut until May 2013, placing this modest Soho business on the map internationally. More new innovations and widely recognized inventions were born at the Bakery, including the Blossoming Hot Chocolate, Frozen S’mores, Gingerbread Pinecone, Cookie Shot, and Christmas Morning Cereal, among others.

And the rest is history.

Dominique Ansel’s married life with wife and children

Ansel has remained quite silent about his family and married life.

He has not revealed if he is married to a wife or if he is dating his girlfriend. According to The New York Times article in 2017, he has a girlfriend named Amy Ma, who is also his business partner.

According to Ansel’s Instagram post in 2022, he revealed that he had been together with Ma for 15 years. However, it is unknown if they are married or not.

Talking about his married life and family, Ansel shares two kids with his partner —  Celian and Elise. He often posts pictures with children on social media, gushing about how much he loves them.

Dominique Ansel shares two children with his wife. (Source: Instagram)

All in all, it seems like Ansel is happy and content with his small family.

Dominique Ansel’s net worth

After establishing Dominique Ansel Bakery in 2011, Dominique Ansel Kitchen, his second NYC location, opened in the West Village in April 2015. Unlike a typical bakery, more than 70% of the menu is produced or completed to order, reflecting Ansel’s view that “time is an ingredient.”

Ansel then opened U.P. (short for “unlimited possibilities”), an after-hours tasting table concealed within the Kitchen store in New York City, in July 2015. The U.P. table seats 12 and is located in the center of the shop’s pastry kitchens, where customers enjoy an all-dessert meal centered on a bi-annual theme.

Ansel opened his first business in Hong Kong, Dang Wen Li by Dominique Ansel, in January 2020. The shop’s name is a translation of ‘Dominique’ in Chinese, and it offers a small selection of sweets inspired by local ingredients and customs, as well as made-to-order delicacies and classic French viennoiserie. 

Dang Wen Li stores have opened at the IFC mall and H Queen’s in Central.

Ansel opened Dominique Ansel Workshop in the Flatiron neighborhood of New York City in July 2021. It is a croissant counter in the heart of his pastry facilities selling fresh-baked croissants and viennoiserie.

Dominique Ansel Las Vegas made its debut at the renowned Caesars Palace, in October 2022 with a menu of trademark pastries like the Cronut, DKA, Cookie Shot, and Frozen S’more, fresh-baked viennoiserie, and a new pastry collection designed specifically for Las Vegas.

Dominique Ansel Bakery menu is filled with exciting pastries and food —  putting the chef on the map. 

Ansel has received several honors and distinctions during his career, including Business Insider’s “Most Innovative People Under 40,” Vanity Fair France’s “50 Most Influential French in the World,” and the Daily Mail’s designation as the “most fêted pastry chef in the world.” 

He has also been named one of Dessert Professional’s “Top 10 Pastry Chefs in the United States” and one of Time Out New York’s “Top Ten Pastry Chefs You Need to Know.”

Ansel received the coveted James Beard Award for “Outstanding Pastry Chef” in the country in 2014 and was named one of Crain’s “40 Under 40.” The following year, in June 2015, he was awarded the Ordre du Mérite Agricole, France’s second highest honor, for his efforts to promote French food and culture. 

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards awarded him the World’s Best Pastry Chef in 2017. Ansel has been working in the industry for almost three decades.

He has come up with his own cookbooks, Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes and Everyone Can Bake: Simple Recipes to Master & Mix. As a result, throughout the time, he has amassed a massive net worth.

However, the exact figure of his net worth is unknown. 

Ryan Walters is an American educator and politician who has been the elected Superintendent of Public Instruction of Oklahoma since 2023.

He was appointed Oklahoma Secretary of Education from September 2020 to April 2023.

As a result, more people wanted to know about the politician, sparking considerable interest in every aspect of his life. They are especially curious about his wife, children, and net worth.

Here is everything we know about him.

Meet Ryan Walters’ wife

Ryan’s wife’s name is Katie Walters. However, no information on his and his wife’s wedding is accessible.

Ryan Walters taking a selfie with his family (Source: Twitter)

There is also not much information available regarding his wife.

Ryan Walters’ children

Ryan is a devoted husband to his wife, Katie, and the father of four children: Violet, Ella, Benjamin, and Samuel.

There is not much publicly accessible information regarding his children. It appears that he keeps his professional life out of the spotlight.

He tweeted a photo of his family with Santa on December 23, 2022, with the caption, “No woke Santa this year :)”

Ryan Walters with his wife Katie and four children posing for a picture (Source: Twitter)

He, on the other hand, rarely tweets anything about his family on his Twitter account because his Twitter account is overflowing with professional work information.

Ryan Walters’ career as secretary of education

Governor Kevin Stitt nominated Ryan to be Oklahoma’s Secretary of Education on September 10, 2020.

However, on May 2, 2022, The Frontier and Oklahoma Watch reported on a U.S. Department of Education investigation.

It was found that the Bridge the Gap program, overseen by Ryan, lacked adequate safeguards against fraud and abuse, and federal auditors were examining the allocation of COVID-19 relief funds through the program.

Following this, on May 11, 2022, Oklahoma House Democrats called for Ryans’ resignation.

However, the Governor’s office praised Secretary Ryan, highlighting his efforts to empower parents in their children’s education choices and his advocacy for directing funds toward students rather than government-controlled systems.

In 2023, Governor Kevin reappointed Ryan as Oklahoma Secretary of Education. However, on April 11, 2023, the Governor appointed Katherine Curry to take Ryan’s place.

This decision came after Ryan’s’ reappointment confirmation faced obstacles in the Oklahoma Senate, with Attorney General Gentner Drummond informing lawmakers that serving as both Secretary of Education and State Superintendent concurrently was illegal.

Ryan Walters’ past election results

In the 2022 Oklahoma state superintendent race, the Republican primary was highly competitive, with four candidates vying for the nomination.

Ryan emerged as the top contender, securing 41% of the vote, while his closest rival, April Grace, garnered 31%.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Ryan Walters for Ok state Superintendent (@ryanwaltersforsuperintendent)

This led to a runoff election between Ryan and Grace, where Ryan secured a decisive victory with 53.4% of the vote. In the general election, Ryan maintained his momentum, ultimately winning the position of state superintendent with 56.8% of the vote.

His Democratic opponent, Jena Nelson, put up a strong challenge, receiving 43.2% of the vote, representing a significant increase for the Democratic Party in this race compared to previous elections.

This electoral outcome marked a Republican gain from the Democratic Party, solidifying Ryan’s role as the Oklahoma state superintendent.

Ryan Walters’ net worth

There is not much information available regarding his net worth or salary. However, according to various sources, his state pay was $40,000.

Ryan Walters applauds during the 2023 State of the State address (Source: KOSU)

Aside from this, there is no additional financial data accessible.

Montero Lamar Hill, also known as Lil Nas X, is an American rapper, performer, and songwriter. 

He gained notoriety after the release of his country rap ballad ‘Old Town Road,’ which spent 19 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it the longest-running number-one song since the category’s inception in 1958. 

While Lil Nas X lives a successful life now, it was not always the same. He had a difficult childhood because of his family, mostly because of his parents.

Lil Nas X’s parents split when he was six

Lil Nas X was born on April 9, 1999, in Lithia Springs, Georgia. When he was born, his parents, R.L. Stafford and Shawnita Hathaway, were together.

However, there were a lot of ups and downs in their relationship. As a result, they split when the singer was five years old.

Lil Nas X with his parents. (Source: Twitter)

By the time he was six, his parents had divorced, and his father had moved on with another partner. During that time, Lil Nas X moved into the Bankhead Courts housing project in Atlanta’s Bankhead neighborhood with his mother and grandmother. 

When he was 9, his father gained custody of him and his brother, and as a result, the siblings moved in with their dad and relocated to Austell. Although he was initially hesitant to leave, Lil Nas X eventually saw it as a crucial move.

He told Rolling Stone, “There’s so much [expletive] going on in Atlanta—if I would have stayed there, I would have fallen in with the wrong crowd.” 

Currently, he does not have a good relationship with his mother. He talked about his family and parents with Variety while explaining his connection with his mother.

His mother is allegedly a drug addict. It was difficult for the singer to deal with her since he had tried to check her into rehab but had failed to do it.

It is reported that Hathaway has been seen begging for money in the streets. He said, “I never really talk about my mom. She’s an addict so we don’t have the closest relationship. Even trying to get her better – things didn’t quite work out. But there’s still love.”

On the other hand, the singer has a good relationship with his father. Since Stafford gained custody of Lil Nas X and his brother, the siblings lived with their father and stepmother.

Lil Nas X was a difficult child from a young age. He told Variety, “I dyed my hair, and my dad was so mad at me.”

This was because his father felt like he was trying to follow in somebody else’s footsteps rather than his own. When Nas X came out to his father, Stafford did not take it well. 

Stafford is very religious and used to be a gospel singer. However, when his son came out openly in 2019, he learned to accept his son.

Lil Nas X confirmed that the father-son duo had become closer after he came out. “I mean especially now because I don’t have anything to hide. It was a shock for him. It’s still the beginning phase. I’m not comfortable bringing a guy around yet,” he added.

At the time of writing, it seems like the father-son duo are on good terms and close with each other. Stafford often posts pictures supporting his son and promoting his music.

He often joins the singer during his tours and gushes about how proud he is on his social media. Lil Nas X is also a dotting son.

He bought a house for his father on the occasion of Father’s Day in 2022. Similarly, he openly talks about his love for his father on social media.

Lil Nas X’s siblings 

Not much is known about Lil Nas X’s siblings. Some websites have reported that he does not have any biological siblings.

On the other hand, some have mentioned that he has two biological brothers — Lamarco Hill and Tramon Hill.

The singer has a lot of half-siblings from his parents. The half-siblings from his mother are Shaquisha Hill and Bianca Hill. 

Similarly, his half-siblings from his father’s side are Robert Sleepy, Ashley Stafford, and Labrock Anderson. While not many specifics about Lil Nas X’s siblings have been given to the public, it is safe to assume that he has had their support from the beginning in all essential situations.

For instance, when he came out to the world on Twitter and required a place to stay when he was at his lowest. Around the time Lil Nas X came out publicly in 2019, he started mentioning more of his siblings and their support for him. 

In another interview, he revealed that he came out to his father and sister first after originally fearing that coming out would harm his career. Later that month, he tweeted about his life before stardom, which included living with his sister.

He tweeted in July 2019, “Wow man last year I was sleeping on my sister’s floor, had no money, struggling to get plays on my music, suffering from daily headaches, now I’m gay.”

Lil Nas X has also served as an inspiration to his siblings. For instance, his brother, Tramon, revealed that the singer helped him come out as bisexual.

He said, “My brother really opened doors for a lot of people. Yeah, he opened a door for me.”

While Hill was concerned about how his choice to come out publicly would affect numerous relationships in his life, his brother urged him to be honest. 

“What I mean by that, like, I’m not gay, though, you feel me? I’m bisexual. He helped me be real with myself. My brother made me more open to it,” Tramon added.

Lil Nas X’s age, nationality, and ethnicity 

Lil Nas X was born on April 9, 1999. At the time of writing, his age is 24.

Since he was born in Lithia Springs, Georgia, his nationality is American. His ethnicity is African-American. 

Lil Nas X has garnered multiple awards for his unapologetically queer visuals and social media presence, including two Grammy Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, two BET Hip Hop Awards, two iHeartRadio Music Awards, and two American Music Awards. 

He was also named the youngest honoree of the Hal David Starlight Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. With 17 platinum certifications, ‘Old Town Road’ is the second most-certified song in the United States. 

In 2020, he was included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and in 2021, he was named to Time’s annual list of the 100 most important people in the world.