ABOUT
- Our Story
- Team
- Board
- Partners
EAT
IMPACT
JOIN
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NEWS & EVENTS
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Help us Auction the Wall on 1/31.

ABOUT
- Our Story
- Team
- Board
- Partners
EAT
IMPACT
JOIN
SUPPORT
NEWS & EVENTS
DONATE NOW

OUR TEAM

Broad Street Site Director
Tasheena Butler

Poydras Street Site Director
Adam Martinez

Director of Human Resources
Nadine Cameron

Community Resource Manager
guenevere wilson

Poydras Customer Sales Associate
Yvette Jackson

Chief Executive Officer

Dennis Bagneris

Dennis brings over 15 years of program management experience to Liberty’s Kitchen, where he’s held leadership roles since 2011. Prior to becoming our CEO, Dennis was our Youth Development and Leadership Program Director where he ensured our programs had a youth-centered voice. As CEO, Dennis makes sure we’re adhering to our organizational values and are moving forward in line with our vision for the future.

Email:dbagneris@libertyskitchen.org

Chief Finance Officer

Bernadette Lucas

Bernadette has been in finance for over 20 years and at Liberty’s Kitchen since early 2018. A New Orleans native, Bernadette connects with the mission of Liberty’s Kitchen and is here to serve some of the city’s most marginalized youth. Prior to her time at Liberty’s Kitchen, she served as board chair for Common Ground Health Clinic for four years.

Email:blucas@libertyskitchen.org

Chief Impact Officer

Harry Schnur

Harry leads the fundraising and communications strategy for Liberty’s Kitchen. He brings ten years experience in community health, political organizing, and youth development, as well as some formative time in coffee shops, food trucks and restaurants. Harry believes in the power of food and community to build a better, more just society.

Email:hschnur@libertyskitchen.org

Broad Street Site Director

Tasheena Butler

Tasheena has been at Liberty’s Kitchen since 2014, initially as our Culinary Training Coordinator where she created our Culinary Training curriculum for our Youth Development Program. As Site Director for our Broad Street location, she ensures our team balances the training we deliver to our youth with restaurant-quality service. Aside from her role at Liberty’s Kitchen, Tasheena is the Mission and Service Coordinator at St. Joseph’s Church in New Orleans.

Email:tbutler@libertyskitchen.org

Poydras Street Site Director

Adam Martinez

Adam brings over 15 years of experience in running restaurants. A classically-trained chef, Adam worked on the East Coast before moving back home to the Gulf Coast. Adam finds this work especially rewarding because he gets to share the skills he learned in his career with young people who want to learn.

Email:amartinez@libertyskitchen.org

Director of Human Resources

Nadine Cameron

Nadine has over 20 years’ experience in Human Resources. Prior to Liberty’s Kitchen, Nadine worked with the Dickie Brennan Restaurant Group. Nadine loves connecting with the trainees and making an impact on them.

Email:njames@libertyskitchen.org

Culinary Training Manager

Tori Nero

Tori is the first chef instructor who the students work with at Liberty’s Kitchen. Under her guidance, students learn how to properly hold a knife and the importance of kitchen math, among other skills. Tori and the students also prepare the twice-daily meals for their colleagues and staff members that they eat as a family. When she’s not in the kitchen, you can find Tori at an art museum, or cheering on her kids at their soccer and volleyball games.

Cafe Manager

Jessica Starling

Chef Jesse is responsible for our Broad Street Cafe menu and is also our back of house instructor. She came to Liberty’s Kitchen to share her 25 years of kitchen experience with others. A seasoned industry expert, Jesse recognizes talent in her students and patiently waits for them to realize it for themselves.

Finance and Data Manager

Liz Treacy

Liz manages the data process for our programs staff and works on the finance team. An avid cyclist and environmentalist, Liz lived and worked on the East Coast before moving to New Orleans. When she’s not crunching numbers, you can find her on a soccer field or climbing a rock wall.

Development Manager

Michelle Mathew

Michelle ensures we’re telling our story the best we can. Her many hats include communications and fundraising campaigns, donor relations, and special events. Before she moved to development, she was our Pastry Instructor, and if she’s not at her desk, she’s probably teaching a cycling class, at a concert, or baking scones.

Recruitment Coordinator

Alex M. Sanchez

Alex is our Recruitment Coordinator. You can find her pounding the pavement on her bike, flyers in hand, as she visits community events to find young people looking for the next step in their careers. In her free time she is a yoga teacher and photojournalist.

Senior Program Manager

Brianna Skinner

As Senior Program Manager, Brianna (known as “Ms. Bri”) is one of the first friendly faces the students meet during their orientation, and is a resource they can count on during their 12 weeks at Liberty’s Kitchen. When Ms. Bri isn’t at Liberty’s Kitchen, she’s traveling the U.S. or learning everything she can about Japanese culture.

Community Resource Manager

guenevere wilson

As Community Resource Manager, guenevere works hard to ensure that trainees receive the social supports they need to succeed. She has a background in public health and a passion for nutrition, the environment, and how they connect. In her free time, guenevere gardens, bikes around the city, and creates art.

Line Cook

Kira Lewis

Kira joined Liberty’s Kitchen in 2017 and has been working in kitchens for over eight years. The trainees spend two weeks with Kira during their the back of house rotation, where she trains them on how to properly expedite orders. Kira loves that her job allows her to combine her kitchen experience with teaching young people.

Barista Trainer

Shantrell Dennis

Shantrell joined Liberty’s Kitchen because she loves talking with customers and training young people on how to make the perfect coffee drink. Outside of work, Shantrell loves to play basketball and cook.

Barista Trainer

Derion Parlow

Derion has worked in the hospitality industry for nearly 10 years and joined Liberty’s Kitchen in early 2018. She’s a visual artist who loves teaching and the friendly environment at Liberty’s Kitchen. Stop by our Broad Street location for one of her specialty espresso drinks!

Cafe Steward

Shawn Neustadter

Shawn has been at Liberty’s Kitchen since 2016. A graduate of our Youth Development Program, Shawn ensures that our kitchen and classroom spaces are in great condition.

Poydras Program Manager

Tabetha Long

Tabetha has been at Liberty’s Kitchen Poydras since 2017. She is the Poydras Program Manager, coordinating on-site training activities ranging from resume writing to customer service.

Poydras Sous Chef

Lee Andrews

Lee has over 30 years of cooking experience and has worked at the Poydras cafeteria for 24 years. He has experience in Louisianan and Italian food cooking and is at Liberty’s Kitchen because he loves helping young adults improve their lives through teaching them culinary skills.

Poydras Customer Sales Associate

Yvette Jackson

Yvette has been working at the Poydras Street location for five years and loves what the Youth Development Program stands for. A mother and grandmother, Yvette has been working since she was 15 years old and understands the importance of helping young people develop a strong work ethic.

Poydras Line Cook

Joe Jimenez

Joe started his career in food service in 1994 and has experience in a variety of environments. He sees his work at Liberty’s Kitchen as a chance to continually improve his skills and interact with customers while getting to teach students.

Poydras Line Cook

Lashaun Simeon

Lashaun has been at Liberty’s Kitchen since 2017 and in the hospitality industry since 2015. A New Orleans native, Lashaun trains our students on how to appropriately and efficiently work on the line and expedite menu items.

Poydras Line Cook

Sunje Warren

Sunje has worked in hospitality for nearly 15 years and her experience spans all aspects of working in kitchens, making her a great trainer for the young people who come through our Youth Development Program. Sunje likes seeing her regular customers and getting a chance to teach young people how to work in a kitchen.