FeatureD Alumni:

Class of 1997

Chef Victoria M. Nodarse, MS

After attending Conchita Espinosa Academy, I went on to Our Lady Lourdes Academy for high school and Barry University for my Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing. I then pursued a Master’s Degree in Hospitality Management from Florida International University. After graduation I went on to an Accelerated Culinary Certification from the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley, California.

Once I returned to Miami, I interned at the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, and was later hired as their Community Relations Coordinator. I decided to perform my graduate internship at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown, Miami - Management Training Program after having worked for the Hotel Victor, another Hyatt property, as a Culinary Extern. I worked with Florida International University’s South Beach Wine and Food Festival as Coordinating Chef Michael Moran’s assistant and at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens as a Special Events Associate, developing the Culinary Experience at Fairchild. I was the Culinary Coordinator and Adjunct Professor for the International Hospitality Center at Miami Dade College, where I managed programs for the Miami Culinary Institute, the first eco-friendly culinary school in the country.

In 2012 I opened my first business: Spice Galore, a specialty, semi-organic Sugar, Salt, Tea and Spice shop located in South Miami, FL. I also previously work for Common Threads, an organization whose mission is educate children on the importance of nutrition and physical well-being, and to foster an appreciation of cultural diversity through cooking as a Chef Instructor. Since April 2013, I have worked full-time as a Culinary Consultant with in own firm, Victorious Gastronomy Inc.

Attending Conchita Espinosa Academy had a huge impact on forming the person I am today. Through the focus on education, the arts, and pride in my roots, Conchita Espinosa Academy helped me to become a well-rounded and confident individual. The examples I saw at CEA inspired me to become an educator, in addition to my work as a chef and entrepreneur. CEA helped me develop the integrity to make the best possible choices throughout my life and the confidence to become an entrepreneur within my field.

For more information on my culinary consulting business, you may email me at victoria@victoriousgastronomy.com