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New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute
 

Meet our instructors.

Our chef-instructors are the heart and soul of our certificate program and some of the most accomplished chefs in their field. With an instructor-student ratio of 16:1, every student gets extensive hands-on training in their time at NOCHI.

Zak Miller, Baking & Pastry Arts Instructor

Before coming to NOCHI, Zak was an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America. He previously worked as pastry chef in numerous award-winning restaurants and hotels across the country (including Picholine, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and Coquette), was invited to be a guest chef at the White House, and has contributed to several cookbooks.

Rebecca Klaskala, Culinary Arts Instructor

Rebecca was born and raised in New Orleans, where food was the center of her world and she grew up cooking through Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen. She earned her culinary chops in the kitchens of Luke and La Provence before moving to Hyde Park, NY to attend the Culinary Institute of America. After graduation, she worked for Michelin-star Chef Kevin Hickey at Allium in Chicago, then returned home to join Chefs John Folse and Rick Tramanto at Restaurant R’evolution and worked her way up to sous chef over seven years. In 2020, she joined the team at NOCHI, where she continues to hone her passion for teaching local and global cuisines to aspiring chefs.

kent levan, Culinary Arts Instructor

Before joining the culinary team at NOCHI, Kent worked as a chef in New Orleans and in New York City. Kent's passion for food started with time spent in his grandmother's kitchen, learning the family recipes. That love of food has taken him into a wide range of cuisines from haute Creole to BBQ to global fine dining and almost everything in-between. A graduate of the French Culinary Institute, Kent is excited to share his passion for world foods, just as his instructors did when he began his culinary journey.