Chef Jacqueline Rojo: 2026 Southwest Chef Series
For Chef Jacqueline Rojo, pastry has a place in life’s most meaningful occasions. A birthday cake, a wedding dessert or the final course of a first date can become part of a memory long after the table is cleared.
That connection to the craft continues to guide Rojo’s work as pastry chef at Ámbar Restaurante in El Paso, Texas. There, she creates desserts that bring French patisserie techniques together with the flavors and welcoming spirit of Mexican baking.
2026 BOSW Southwest Chef Series Hub
Chef Jacqueline Rojo at a glance
Restaurant: Ámbar Restaurante at The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park
Location: El Paso, Texas
Role: Pastry chef
Specialty: French pastry techniques with Mexican flavors and influences
Website: ambarelpaso.com
Instagram: @ambarelpaso
French training, Mexican inspiration
Trained in French patisserie, Rojo finds inspiration in the comfort and familiarity of pan dulce. She is drawn to the way Mexican pastries bring people together, an everyday expression of hospitality that informs her approach to more intricate desserts.
Her ingredients offer opportunities to explore that connection. Morita chile, piloncillo and agave spirits bring different dimensions of heat, sweetness and flavor to her pastry work, grounded in European technique.
At Ámbar, the pastry program forms part of a broader menu rooted in Mexican culinary traditions. Located on the lobby level of The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park, the restaurant features heirloom corn masa, handmade tortillas, fresh ceviches and whole-animal asado prepared around its wood-fired grills.
Recipe for success
Rojo approaches her kitchen as a place for continued learning. She encourages her team to practice unfamiliar techniques, try new ideas and take pride in developing their skills.
For her, the reward extends beyond a finished dessert. Watching a team member gain confidence and master something new is one of the most meaningful parts of the job.
That attention also carries through to guests with dietary needs. Rojo makes a point of developing vegan, gluten-free and other dessert options with the same care as the rest of the menu.
Chef Jacqueline Rojo’s impact on Texas’ dining scene
Rojo’s work adds a pastry perspective to El Paso’s contemporary Mexican dining offerings. Her desserts give familiar ingredients a different setting, inviting guests to experience regional flavors through layered cakes, mousses and other carefully composed preparations.
Her role also connects the restaurant experience with the celebrations hosted at The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park. Through special-event cakes and plated desserts, pastry becomes part of how both hotel guests and local diners mark an occasion.
The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park holds One Michelin Key, a distinction awarded to the hotel. Within that setting, Rojo contributes her own focus on creativity and thoughtful preparation.
Signature desserts: Chuco Town and Mexican Opera Torte
Two desserts illustrate the range of Rojo’s work: the Chuco Town and Mexican Opera Torte.
Named for El Paso’s nickname, the Chuco Town is an El Paso-style gâteau featuring layers of angel food cake, strawberry soak, tequila lime mousse and white chocolate ganache. Created as a summer interpretation of a layered torte, it draws on the familiar flavors of limón and fresas con crema. Tequila connects the dessert to Ámbar’s agave program.
The Mexican Opera Torte began with Rojo’s interest in European pastry. Her vegan adaptation features almond cake, chocolate, espresso and buttercream, finished with chocolate avocado mousse and cherries.
Its popularity among guests helped inspire the creation of the Chuco Town. Together, the desserts show how Rojo develops new ideas: drawing from a classic and adapting it with purpose.
Explore the 2026 Southwest Chef Series
This profile is part of The Best of the Southwest’s 2026 Southwest Chef Series, celebrating the chefs and culinary leaders shaping dining across Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas and Southern California.
