Chef Maggie McConnell is co-owner and pastry chef of Claudine, the 26-seat tasting-menu restaurant she opened with her husband, executive chef Josh Finger, in downtown Providence in June 2025. A Providence native, McConnell returned home to create a restaurant rooted in classic French technique, seafood, and products from the Northeast. Claudine was named a 2026 James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Best New Restaurant.
McConnell graduated from George Washington University in 2012 before enrolling in a pastry certificate program at Le Cordon Bleu in Austin, Texas. She worked at Buenos Aires Cafe and Italic before rising to pastry sous chef at Launderette. In 2018, she moved to New York City to join Per Se as a pastry chef de partie. During the pandemic, she spent a year at The French Laundry in Napa Valley before returning to Per Se, where she served as pastry sous chef.
McConnell and Finger began dating in 2021 and left Per Se together at the end of 2022. At Claudine, she directs the pastry program, often pairing a lighter, fruit-forward dessert with a richer course built around chocolate or nuts. Her desserts also draw on nostalgic flavors and frequently incorporate ice creams, sherbets, and other frozen elements.
