Raley was originally born in Salisbury, North Carolina, but it was in San Jose, California, that her love for turning simple ingredients into delicious desserts was born. Nearly eight years after moving to Louisiana, and one year after graduating high school, she discovered NOCHI’s Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate program and believed it was the next step in God’s plan for her life. Raley hopes to open her own beachside brick-in-mortar bakery in the future, soaking in every step along the way.

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Robernique was born and raised in New Orleans, in the Uptown/Carrollton area. After working in sales and customer service for over 10 years, she decided it was time for a change. She made the decision to follow her heart and further herself in baking & pastry at NOCHI. Robernique loves mommy & me time with her daughter. In her free time, she likes to enjoy herself outdoors, walking in the park, shopping, lunch dates & the spa.

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Meet Jatavian , also known as Jay, a local attorney who traded in his briefcase for baking trays, a whisk, and a chef’s jacket. After spending years advocating for his clients in courtrooms, while searching for a creative outlet, Jay decided to concurrently pursue his passion for baking and pastry arts. Having an eye for precision and careful attention to detail, skills honed from his legal career, Jay now enjoys creating diverse treats ranging from delectable macarons to elaborate confections housed in a fine pâtisserie.

Jatavian is originally from Shreveport, LA, and is now a New Orleanian by choice. Jay is married to his high school sweetheart. Together, the pair are proud parents of their two beautiful daughters. Jay’s determination proves that the sweetest success in life often stems from pursing passions of the heart.

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Kristin’s love for baking started in John Ehret high school when she was a sophomore. She started baking things to sell at school and the feedback from staff and peers gave her the confidence to continue on with her passion. Serving in the Army National Guard since 2015, Kristin has shown courage and resilience, including a deployment to Kuwait in 2023. Following her service, Kristin embarked on a new journey by enrolling as a Baking & Pastry Arts student at the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute (NOCHI). She is a dedicated individual who has demonstrated her commitment to both her country and her passion for baking.

With a dream to open her own pastry shop and give back to her community, Kristin is channeling her skills and determination into creating a sweet future for herself and those around her.

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Janisha is from Sanford, FL and moved to New Orleans, LA in May 2017. For most of her life and after pursuing ballet/jazz dance, she decided it was time for a change and embrace her baking and pastry dream. She made the decision to follow her passion and join the NOCHI family. Thanks to NOCHI, she has been able to learn new techniques and skills to help her continue on her dream journey.

After NOCHI, Janisha would like to continue her journey as a personal chef and local farm owner in West Cape Towne, South Africa by the end of 2025.

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Nicole’s baking journey started when she was very young as she assisted her aunt in baking a number of different desserts. This sparked a passion that was briefly put on hold while she pursued a career in the music industry doing Artist Hospitality. Once established, she was finally able to branch out to pursue a professional career in pastry arts. Her journey led her to NOCHI where she took the first step to one day open her own bakery in order to share the love she has for baking with others.

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23-year-old Meyauna from Baltimore, Maryland has always had a passion for cooking. Growing up rooted in tradition and being the eldest sibling, she started cooking from very young age. After graduating high school, she decided to pursue start her culinary journey and attended an accelerated culinary course in Maryland. She manages her own catering and private dining business, as well as freelance with several Baltimore Chefs. She received the Aaron Sanchez Impact Fund scholarship in November 2023 and moved to New Orleans to further her culinary education at NOCHI.

After NOCHI, Meyauna plans to make a new impact on her community in Baltimore with her catering business and her traveling private chef career. She looks forward to traveling the world and experience all that the culinary scenes have to offer, while making an impact on those she encounters to change lives for the better with her talent.

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TJ was born in Washington state and grew up in Montana, but always had a second home down by the river in the Crescent City. His earliest memories consist of helping out his mom in the kitchen and being called “little chef”. He’s always had a passion for cooking and bringing joy to people. Spending most of his working life in restaurants especially back of house, TJ has gained a multitude of experiences in the kitchen. In January of 2024, TJ moved to New Orleans, and has been attending the New Orleans Hospitality Institute. He plans to become a private chef after graduating.

After NOCHI, TJ plans to take New Orleans by storm one recipe at a time. He plans to give back to the community by using food as a teaching mechanism to show the past. Making food in traditional ways while telling the history of the dish and using herbal remedies to better improve his community.

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Joseph has grown up in his family’s restaurant his whole life. His Mom and Dad opened Trapani’s Eatery of Bay Saint Louis, MS before he was born. Working there his whole life, he understood it was his responsibility to be there for the family business forever. Now, Joseph and his Mom are in the process of opening their own Italian restaurant in the Bay. Coming to NOCHI, Joseph wants to learn from some great examples to carry on his Dad’s legacy as a restaurateur.

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Samiia has lived in Worcester, Massachusetts her entire life. Samiia began studying general nursing online after graduating from high school. But she always dreamt of doing something different, so she moved to New Orleans to attend culinary schools and pursue her goal of becoming a private chef. After NOCHI, she hopes to create her own business and then expand it, but for now, she is taking everything she can learn and not letting any of it go to waste.

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Hector was born in New Orleans, growing up in a food city but also deep into his family's Hispanic culture. Hector grew up watching his mother and other family members show their passion for food and cooking. He began to consume culinary knowledge from his loved ones, which led to the growth of his passion for food. Hector has now been cooking for 4 years in kitchens around New Orleans to acquire more skills and gain knowledge of the different cuisines the city has to offer.

This year, Hector was able to become a part of the Culinary Arts program at NOCHI. He is part of the June class of 2024 and currently works as a line cook at Saba.

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Bria was born in New Orleans. She learned to cook from her grandmother at the age of nine. She went to college become a veterinarian but realized it was not her passion. In January of 2024, Bria started at NOCHI to pursue her dreams of becoming a chef. After NOCHI, she plans to travel around the world and cook. She wants to live abroad and learn about all the different cultures and cuisines.

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Colin can thank his dad for his passion for culinary arts. He has fond memories of family dinners as a kid. Colin got his first restaurant job when he was 15 and gained experience in both front- and back-of-house. Later, his dad opened a food truck that Colin helped operate, where he learned about the intricacies of running a business and fell in love with the management side of restaurants.

During college, he waited tables at a Thai restaurant and really fell in love with it. He learned all about Thai cuisine and really started thinking of food service as a career. From there, Colin moved to New Orleans for culinary school at NOCHI. Before attending, he spent a few months at Commander’s Palace to further his knowledge of service and got his first taste of fine dining. After NOCHI, he intends to further learn and refine his culinary knowledge in New Orleans.

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Christian began cooking at a young age, helping his grandma in the kitchen whenever the chance arose. Hisinterest in seeking food service as a potential career first blossomed in his early high school years when he was accepted to the Orange County School of the Arts culinary program in California. He spent all four years of his high school experience being an active member of his classes and involvement in professional food service. He competed and placed first in the annual Prostart competition; as well as being the only student in his class to be employed at one of two Michelin guide restaurants in Orange County. For two years he worked his way up to be the youngest one of three lead line cooks.

After NOCHI, Christian has plans on traveling around the country in hopes of learning a diverse range of cuisines and kitchen systems in hopes of using those new skills to better himself and his workplace. Christian’s long-term goal is to leave a lasting impression on the culinary world that lasts a lifetime.

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Stephen was born and raised in New Orleans. He has been working in the restaurant industry for the past 18 years, and his passion for cooking has only increased over time. After graduating NOCHI, his goal is to travel around the country and continue to learn different cuisines and techniques. He looks forward to honing his skills and contributing to the great culinary industry in New Orleans.

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Melvin’s culinary journey began when he first entered a catering company to work the fundamentals operations. As time passed, the Executive Chef saw his drive and the love he has for food. Slowly working his way up, he became a prep cook then eventually became a line cook for the company. He has been working in the industry for three years now and is even more driven to learn all he can. Melvin has also been blessed to be part of the Aarón Sánchez Impact Fund Scholarship. He received the news back home in New York and was very excited to go to another state to study the culinary arts.

After NOCHI Melvin Reyes plans to go back to New York to work as a Saucier at his original company and work his way up to become a Sous Chef. Eventually, his goal is to open his own business.

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Amani came to culinary school at NOCHI to further her knowledge and experience. After graduating, she will be joining the Disney Culinary Program in August.

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Cora was born in Metairie, Louisiana. Her passion for cooking developed at an early age. Seeing Chef Cat Cora on Iron chef and realizing they shared a name, she was hooked. She was in her first cooking competition in the 4th grade through 4-H, a program that helped inner-city public school kids learn basic knowledge skills like cooking, agriculture, camping, robotics, and the list continues. From there she knew she wanted to cook for the rest of her life.

Her goal is to be Chef Cora Wilson: e a spice maker, author of of cookbooks, BBQ sauce creator, buffet owner, fine dining restaurant owner, business investor, and she hopes to earn a bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Science.

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Brandon has always been very passionate about culinary arts, since his grandpa showed him the basics and fine dining from his time at Vincent’s Italina Cuisine in New Orleans. He hasn't spent much time in kitchens but learned about NOCHI and thought the program would be the perfect way to get his foot in the door. He wants to become a Michelin star chef, own many restaurants and will do everything in his power to achieve that goal. After NOCHI, Brandon plans to start working with chefs around the globe and gain real world understanding of the culinary world.

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Melanie grew up on the sunny beaches of Saint Petersburg, Florida. From a young age she had interest in the busy fast pace of the hospitality industry and the creativity that came with it. Melanie’s family is from Cali, Colombia and food for her was always the love language between different family members. In her teenage years, she started front of house - working her way from hostess all the way to bartender. After getting her first job at a restaurant working in garde manger she knew the back of house was her home. Wanting to expand her knowledge she began doing seasonal work all over the country and knew the next step was furthering her education, after getting a scholarship to attend NOCHI, she found passion in foundational work.

After Melanie graduates, she hopes to find a way to get into the philanthropic side of the industry and help motivate other young people to take the leap into school and guide them to greatness.

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Finnegan grew up in Oakland, CA, working construction with his father. His mother is a Chinese herbalist and acupuncturist, focused on eating well for his whole life. As he got older, he began to truly appreciate fresh food and really fell in love with it.

His brother and uncle both passed not too long ago and before they went, they shared their skill and passion for the kitchen with Finnegan. At NOCHI, he has been able to refine his skills and turn them into something he can actually put to use. After NOCHI, he plans on working in kitchens around the world, collecting knowledge about our industry until he can eventually run his own kitchen.

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Melanie came to culinary school at NOCHI to further her knowledge and experience in baking and pastry 8 months after graduating high school. As she reaches the end of the program, she finds that she doesn’t know what’s next for her. Having the knowledge and experience that she has now, her dream is to one day own a small bakeshop or bistro and add some of the Latin American Culture to differentiate her business.

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