Chef Heather Nace, RD, LDN
Director of Operations & Executive Chef
Email: hnace@tulane.edu
Heather Nace is a Chef and Registered Dietitian and the Director of Operations of the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine. She is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, holding a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Nutrition with a concentration in Clinical Dietetics. Heather previously worked in real estate and owned a small business before pursuing a career in food and nutrition. Always a passionate cook, she realized her calling to educate others and serve the community while she interned at the Goldring Center in 2018. In leadership since 2020, she has expanded the center’s community class offerings, hosted special events, and, most recently, supported a research study to explore the metabolic effects of cooking classes on older adults. Teaching the next generation of healthcare professionals how to improve their kitchen confidence and how to talk to patients about food and nutrition allows her to combine her love of food with her passion for approachable nutrition education. Heather loves showing people that cooking nourishing meals doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming, and the food should be delicious. She serves on the advisory board for the American College of Culinary Medicine and has served in various roles for the New Orleans Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. When she’s not in the kitchen, you can find her parading with the Sassyracs dance krewe or in her craft room, making next year’s Mardi Gras costume.
Chef Rebecca Hinojosa, MS, RD, LDN
Assistant Program Director
Email: rhinojosa@tulane.edu
Rebecca Hinojosa is a registered dietitian who has spent over 20 years working in the food and service industry. She spent many years splitting her time by working on agricultural farms and in restaurants: growing, harvesting, and preparing food. As someone passionate about food, her transition to the dietetics world came naturally. She holds a B.S. in Human Environmental Science from the University of Alabama and an M.S. in Human Nutrition. She completed her Dietetic Internship through Garden to Table Nutrition, focusing on positively impacting her community and their health through food. Throughout her career, Rebecca has been passionate about community-oriented service, striving to connect with others on a personal level. She enjoys developing and modifying recipes for healthy living. An active gardener, she incorporates personally and locally grown produce into her recipes. Outside of work, Rebecca appreciates eating with friends, watching live music, being out of doors, and traveling.
Chef Katie Pedroza
Community Instructor / Family Programming Coordinator
Email: kpedroza@tulane.edu
Katie Pedroza, a native of Cincinnati, graduated from the University of Akron with her degree in Culinary Arts in 2001. Katie relocated to New Orleans to continue her culinary education working at renowned restaurants such as Dante’s Kitchen, Emeril’s Delmonico, MiLa, and Coquette. Leaving restaurants for culinary education, she worked for Edible Schoolyard New Orleans for 5 years. At Goldring since 2015, she teaches Community and Family cooking classes, where she feels she is making an impact on the health and wellbeing of her fellow New Orleans residents.
Ronald R. Quinton, MD, FACS, FACCP, CCMS
Medical Director
Email: rquinton@tulane.edu
Dr. Ron Quinton has spent the last 40 years as a Thoracic-Cardiovascular Surgeon performing all aspects of adult heart and lung surgery. He retired from active surgical practice in 2020. During his surgical career, he became interested in and focused on the role that food and lifestyle play in the cause of coronary artery disease and lung cancer and how these diseases can be prevented and treated with healthy alterations in eating and living. During the last 20 years of his career, Dr. Quinton has actively educated and encouraged his patients and others to follow a healthier way of eating and living.
Dr. Quinton is a graduate of Tulane University’s School of Medicine and now has returned to participate in the education of students, residents, and patients in healthy nutrition for disease prevention, treatment, and well-being.
