Ashley Patino
Julio's Bagels and Pizza Bones | Richmond, VA
February 2026
Born and raised in Woodridge, Virginia, Ashley Patino moved to Richmond to study at Virginia Commonwealth University. During her time there, she worked at both Lamplighter Coffee Roasters and Sub Rosa Bakery, sparking her love for baking and hospitality. In 2015, after graduating, Patino moved to San Francisco, California, and started working at Tartine Bakery. Over the next three years, Patino worked in both the pastry and bread departments, learning to work with efficiency, balance flavors, and take risks while training under Baker Richard Hart and other talents. She spent her downtime staging around town and stretching pizzas with the Del Popolo team, eventually realizing her dream of opening her own pizza spot.
Though she loved her time on the West Coast, Patino had always planned to return to Richmond. So, in 2019, she left San Francisco, and in 2021, she opened Pizza Bones. There, she makes pizza based on flavor pairings and produce she receives from local farmers, such as her whipped ricotta pizza with marinated peaches, rosemary, and sea salt. With the success of Pizza Bones, Patino started baking bagels, scones, cardamom buns, and Danish-style morning buns out of the kitchen, and Julio’s Bagels was born.
Now its own brick-and-mortar in Northside, Julio’s Bagels, alongside Pizza Bones in Church Hill, embodies everything Patino strives to do: have fun and bake good food. She supports her community by hosting regular pop-ups for other businesses and insists on being a place where customers and employees alike can feel supported.
2026 StarChefs D.C.-Maryland-Virginia Rising Stars Award Winner
