From the Military to the Kitchen: Jean Werner’s Culinary Mission

After years of military service, Jean Werner was ready for a new mission, one that traded combat boots for kitchen clogs. He wanted to channel his discipline, precision, and passion into the culinary world. That journey brought him to New Orleans and to NOCHI.

“I looked at every single culinary school that accepted VA benefits,” Jean recalls. “A friend came over and while we were eating gyros and watching Dragon Ball Z, we went through the list together. New Orleans kept showing up as one of the top cities in the country for food, so NOCHI became the clear choice.”

With a strong foundation in baking already, Jean enrolled to broaden his skills into savory cuisine and gain the versatility to thrive in any kitchen. From day one, NOCHI delivered. “My favorite part was the first quarter,” he says. “We built culinary fundamentals from the ground up. Every single dish was tasted by the instructors, which helped me develop my chef’s palate. It was like a sanity check - I realized I really do have good taste.”

Of course, growth doesn’t come without challenges. Jean remembers being pushed out of his comfort zone during the student pop-up restaurant experience. “Serving in pop-up was hard. I’d never done anything like that before. But it gave me a real taste of what the industry demands.”

Now, Jean feels equipped with not just the skills, but the confidence to take on any culinary environment. As he prepares for the next chapter of his professional life, NOCHI has been the launchpad he needed. A new kind of mission, with just as much purpose.