Chef Pamela Adams is a lecturing instructor of Baking and Pastry Arts at CIA in Hyde Park, NY. With more than 20 years of experience in luxury hospitality and high-volume pastry and bakery operations, she brings extensive industry expertise to the classroom, emphasizing technical excellence, professionalism, and teamwork.
Prior to joining CIA, Adams served as director of bakery operations and executive pastry chef at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, leading award-winning large-scale production and earning the Chancellor’s Citation Award along with multiple American Culinary Federation gold medals. Her earlier experience includes positions at the five-star Wheatleigh Hotel and Ritz-Carlton properties in Boston and Naples, FL, and participation in teams invited to cook at the James Beard House.
Adams is deeply committed to community engagement and has held leadership and volunteer roles with the Amherst Survival Center, UMass Amherst Community Campaign, Stone Soup Café, and organizations serving the Haitian diaspora through translation and outreach services. She looks forward to continuing her volunteer work in the Hudson Valley.
Outside of the classroom, Chef Adams enjoys woodworking and furniture upcycling, kayaking, cycling, hiking, and stargazing.