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Nunez Culinary student Kelsey Juan, right, is a line cook at Saba, a New Orleans restaurant recently recognized with a Michelin Bib Gourmand Award. Juan is pictured with Dr. Tina Tinney, Nunez Chancellor, at the college’s Fall 2025 Scholarship Breakfast, where she was recognized for earning the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience Scholarship.
The Culinary Arts and Entrepreneurship program at Nunez was well represented during the Michelin American South awards Nov. 3 in Greenville, S.C.
Two alumni and one current student work at New Orleans restaurants that received Bib Gourmand Awards, which the Michelin website describes as recognizing “great food at a great value.” Nunez alum Chef Roni Dacula is executive sous chef at Saba on Magazine Street, where he is joined by line cook and current Nunez Culinary student Kelsey Juan. Former Nunez student Justin Kennedy is the owner and operator of Parkway Bakery and Tavern on Hagan Avenue. Saba and Parkway are among 11 New Orleans restaurants on the American South 2025 Bib Gourmand list.
Juan, who earned the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience Scholarship for Fall 2025 at Nunez, is a recent hire at Saba and was unaware that Dacula attended Nunez, where he earned his certificate in technical studies in 2016. The coincidence of her common ground with Dacula and the Michelin award have confirmed that she is on the right path.
“One of my goals for my culinary career was to work in a Michelin star kitchen, so getting to work in a kitchen that won a Bib Gourmand award, and to work at a restaurant of this level, makes me believe that my goal isn’t such a far-fetched idea, and that getting my culinary arts degree at Nunez is super beneficial to my goal,” she said.
Juan, 23, of Chalmette, is set to graduate in December 2026 with an associate degree with a concentration in Culinary Arts.
Chef Ruth Varisco, Coordinator of Culinary Arts and a longtime instructor at Nunez who taught Dacula, Kennedy and Juan, said the recent award winners demonstrate the value of the college's Culinary program.
“With a Nunez foundation, they’re living their best chef lives,” she said.
Students seeking a pathway into the restaurant and hospitality industry can start their journey at Nunez in Spring 2026. Classes begin 20. Ten online courses are also available during Winter Intersession, which runs Dec. 18-Jan. 15. Apply for both terms today at Nunez.edu or reach out to our Student Success Team for assistance at Nunez.edu/Advising.
