Featured Alumni

Darcia Nunes-Rand

Darcia's culinary skills have earned her awards, helped her travel the globe, and find a satisfying career.

In the two years since Darcia Nunes-Rand graduated from the Culinary Arts program at Saint Paul College, she already has worked at some of the top restaurants in the Twin Cities. Now an assistant pastry chef at Chambers Minneapolis hotel, Nunes-Rand credits the College with teaching her the necessary skills to succeed in her field.

"The program really gives students an opportunity to be hands-on in the kitchen. You leave with a good understanding of what a day is like for a chef or cook," she says. "The program also has a good balance of all the areas of cooking — it's what a two-year program should be."

A native of Salvador, Brazil, Nunes-Rand came to Minnesota to study English for one year. She met her husband in the Twin Cities, and they decided to settle here. She initially thought she wanted to pursue a law degree, but after taking a job at the Walker Art Center's Gallery 8 restaurant, she realized that she'd found her passion.

Nunes-Rand researched both public and private culinary programs in the Twin Cities, and finally settled on Saint Paul College for its affordability and the depth and breadth of its program. In the College's Associate in Applied Science degree program, she studied everything from nutrition and basic range cooking to grilling and cake decorating. It was, she says, an ideal foundation for her career. In fact, as she's met graduates of other local culinary programs, Nunes-Rand says she's been even more pleased with her choice of Saint Paul College. She says its focus on mastering the fundamentals prepared her well for any culinary position, whether it's working at a fine-dining restaurant, a casual eatery, or a high-volume catering company. "If you don't really understand the basic concepts, it's going to be harder in the end to grow as a professional in your career," she says.

She also benefited from the program's instructors, who were eager to answer questions about ingredients and technique, or offer extra assistance. "I always felt like I could come to them for any question I had related to the profession," she says. "They also shared their experiences from their previous lives in the kitchen."

A mix of art and science

Nunes-Rand didn't start the program at Saint Paul College intending to specialize in pastry, but several experiences during school led her to focus on desserts. She received a lot of positive feedback during her cake decorating classes, and then she earned a place on the College's team for an American Culinary Federation competition. With Nunes-Rand in charge of making desserts, the team won the bronze medal.

When she applied for her first job after graduation, at the Walker's 20.21 restaurant, she sent along pictures of her desserts from the competition. It was a coup for her to land at 20.21, where the restaurant and its celebrity chef, Wolfgang Puck, have earned serious acclaim. Nunes-Rand worked there as an assistant pastry chef and gained experience making sweet treats for 20.21, Gallery 8, and the Walker's catering wing.

Her next stop was at International Market Square, working for D'Amico and Sons, another big name on the Twin Cities' culinary scene. She joined the staff at Chambers Minneapolis this fall in the kitchen of Jean-George Vongerichten, another world-famous chef.

Nunes-Rand had the opportunity to travel to France this winter, where she attended Sirha, the International Hotel Catering and Food Trade Exhibition, and watched its World Pastry Cup in Lyon. She also spent a day working at Vongerichten's Paris restaurant, Market, and visited Valrhona Chocolate Factory and the Ecole du Grand Chocolat.

Through her schooling at Saint Paul College and her work experience, Nunes-Rand has developed a passion for life as a pastry chef. "It's a profession that presents you with an opportunity to use your creativity and your clinical knowledge, such as how all the ingredients interact with each other," she says. "It's a mix of art and science."

Suzy Frisch is a Champlin-based freelance writer.

Learn more about our Culinary Arts Program