A Return to NOCHI

Written by Chef Denaé Reddick

I am a 2017 graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, where I found my passion for baking and pastry. My  love of pastry goes way back;  I opened a cupcake business in her freshman year of high school and, as a senior, was the recipient of NOCCA's President's Honors Award in Culinary Arts.  I then went on to pursue a higher education in baking and pastry as part of the inaugural class at the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute in 2019. Since graduating from NOCHI, I have been working as a cake decorator where I am perfecting my skills in the world of celebration and wedding cakes, and I have also returned to NOCCA as a Baking & Pastry instructor. While teaching and working with local bakeries, I am continuing to run Whipped Confections, my own business. 

When I walked back into the NOCHI building after 5 years, it felt like I had never left.  I received such a warm reception from all of the current students and faculty.  Getting a chance to work in the Baking & Pastry lab reminded me of when I decided that cake decorating was the career path I wanted to pursue. Getting to work alongside the current students not only inspired me, but I hope it inspired them as well. 

Coming up with the concept for the cake was fairly easy. I knew I wanted what I designed to be interesting and attention grabbing, but also represented Hoda and Jenna’s bubbly personalities. Using the colors in their logo seemed like the way to go, seeing as it was designed to represent them. I also love being able to play with color and color theory as a whole and experimenting to see how to achieve certain colors using different shades and undertones. I chose Vanilla Funfetti cake with Vanilla Buttercream because I wanted the cake to be interesting to look at both inside and outside, while still being delicious. 

Whipped Website: whippedconfectionsonline.com

Portfolio Website: denaereddickportfolio.com