Meet a NOCHI Student: Melanie Londoño
The Downtown Development District is highlighting one of NOCHI’s Culinary Arts students as part of a series about the benefits of living, working and learning in downtown New Orleans. Read on to learn more about Melanie!
MEET MELANIE LONDOÑO: ASIF RECIPIENT & NOCHI STUDENT
May 9, 2024
What does a day in the life of a culinary student look like in Downtown New Orleans?
In January 2024, Melanie Londoño answered this question by becoming one.
Londoño, a native of sunny Saint Petersburg, Florida, had never visited New Orleans before arriving to begin her culinary training at the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI). As soon as she arrived, she was immersed not only in the heart of the city itself but also in the center of its most integral industry: hospitality.
As a recipient of the prestigious Aarón Sanchez Scholarship, Londoño joined a subsection of the NOCHI June 2024 Cohort whose tuition and Downtown housing are covered by the Aarón Sanchez Impact Fund (ASIF). This small group of scholarship recipients live, learn, and work Downtown during their time at NOCHI, receiving first-hand kitchen experience and mentorship from local chefs and Chef Sanchez himself.
For Londoño, this immersive environment has proved to be an inspiring backdrop for her continued culinary training, which began informally in the kitchens of Tampa Bay nearly ten years ago and has since taken her across the country from Rhode Island to Alaska and beyond.
NOCHI’s 100-Day Certificate program is a fast track toward culinary excellence, and Londoño’s previous work experience and love for food make it a good fit. She enjoys the fast-paced training tempo and quick study of diverse cuisines, finding joy and newfound interest in previously unexplored culinary arts—like baking & pastry, a field which she hopes to journey into next.
Life Downtown also agrees with Londoño, who lives alongside her fellow ASIF recipients in one of the DDD’s many hotels. From this central location, she can explore the rich food and culture that surrounds her within walking distance. Of the over 251 restaurants and bars within the District, she has found a particular affinity for Cochon Butcher; clearly, as one would expect from a culinary student of her caliber, she has good taste.
As Londoño approaches the culmination of her NOCHI training—the execution of her cohort’s Manolete Spanish cuisine pop-up restaurant—DDD will continue to chronicle her experience working, living, and enjoying Downtown. We thank her for sharing her journey with us and providing insight into what life looks like for a culinary student in the heart of New Orleans.
May 31, 2024
Downtown New Orleans is getting ready to welcome another exciting pop-up restaurant from the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute’s (NOCHI) June 2024 Cohort.
DDD is always thrilled to experience the fresh new dining concepts generated by each graduating NOCHI cohort, but this year, we are going behind the scenes for a sneak peek at the pop-up with Aaron Sanchez Impact Fund (ASIF) recipient and NOCHI chef-in-training Melanie Londoño.
Melanie is a member of the June 2024 Cohort and a leading force behind the execution of Manolete, the Spanish-inspired tapas concept her class has chosen to design and operate for their final capstone project at NOCHI.
Manolete, Melanie explains, came to be after her Cohort broke into groups and pitched competing ideas for restaurant concepts earlier this Spring. Two weeks out from its doors officially opening, the pop-up's cuisine, aesthetics, and design have largely been determined, but menu specifics and individual dishes are still in brainstorm-mode. It's fun, she says, taking the time to research and experiment with Spanish ingredients to build a menu that reflects the raw authenticity and fresh flavors of Iberian fare.
After recipe testing is over, the short road to restaurant execution will begin. Manolete will open doors on Tuesday, June 4th, and host lunch service four days a week until June 14th.
The Cohort is split into sub-sections for the two weeks of the pop-up's operation, with the smaller groups rotating between front and back of the house at the end of week one. Melanie is part of the group tackling the kitchen throughout the first week—an opportunity that is equally as exciting as it is nerve-racking; she laughs as she explains that it will be a relief to be on the other side of the restaurant’s first day in service.
But the completion of Manolete will also be bittersweet—as its two-week run marks the end of the 100-day certificate program for the June 2024 NOCHI class. However, the end of her time at NOCHI means just the beginning for Melanie and her culinary experience. Stay tuned to our social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X) and weekly newsletter to learn more about her post-grad adventures and the close of term at New Orleans’ premiere hospitality institute.
To reserve your spot for lunch at Manolete and learn more about the members of the June 2024 Cohort, please visit the link HERE.