Showing Up Matters: How NOCHI Shaped Quinci Lewis’s Next Steps

For many students, culinary school is a second or even third chapter. For Quinci Lewis, it’s the very beginning.

A recent high school graduate, Quinci came straight to NOCHI with a clear goal: to sharpen the skills she’d already started building at a young age and learn how to do things the right way. Cooking had long been part of her life, but Quinci knew that turning passion into something sustainable meant structure, fundamentals, and discipline.

“I learned how to cook when I was younger,” she shared. “I wanted to come to NOCHI to sharpen my skills and really understand the proper way to do things.”

A Community, Not a Competition

What stood out to Quinci almost immediately wasn’t just the instruction, it was the environment. Walking into a completely different learning environment right after high school could have felt intimidating, but instead, she found something unexpected.

“Everyone came in welcoming,” she said. “No one was trying to compete. Everyone is great.”

That sense of shared purpose helped ease one of her early challenges. Like many new cooks, Quinci had to learn how to navigate mistakes - both her own and those happening around her. At first, adjusting to working with different people was tough. But as time went on, something clicked.

“Everybody realized we all have stuff to learn,” she explained. “We don’t need to compare ourselves to each other. When the groups started switching around, it made everything easier.”

Learning What You Don’t Love

Not every surprise came with a smile and that’s part of the learning, too. Quinci went into the program expecting to enjoy baking, only to discover it wasn’t for her.

“I thought baking was going to be cool,” she said honestly. “But I hated it. It was slower paced and I felt we weren’t able to be as creative.”

That realization mattered. NOCHI gave her the space to try new things, rule some out, and better understand where her interests truly lie, which was an invaluable lesson early in her career.

More Than Cooking

While Quinci plans to keep cooking as a passion and side pursuit, her path forward also includes a job already lined up in marketing at a local company. And she’s quick to point out that what she’s gained at NOCHI extends far beyond the kitchen.

“NOCHI will help you with anything, for real,” she said. “They taught me the importance of showing up on time, wearing clean clothes, no stains on your shirt. Stuff that matters everywhere.”

Those professional habits are skills that transfer into any field, culinary or not.

And at the heart of it all is family.

“I want to make my dad happy,” Quinci shared. “He never went to culinary school.”

Just Getting Started

Quinci Lewis represents a new generation of NOCHI students: young, motivated, and open to discovering who they want to become. Whether she’s in the kitchen or building a career in a different industry, the foundation she’s laying now will shape everything that comes next.

Sometimes, the most important lesson isn’t just how to cook. It’s how to show up, keep learning, and move forward with confidence.