VIVA NOLA January 2020

Nicole Caridad takes part in
the most exciting food-related
events in town and she gets
hired for marketing/influencer
campaigns by many local
restaurants to promote their
menus.
It is hard to believe the
food blog isn’t her fulltime
job. Behind the foodie
extraordinaire is a very
committed Higher Education
Administration professional.
Dr. Nicole Caridad Ralston
is an educator in leadership,
intercultural development,
equity, inclusion, and social
justice. Those who know Nicole
personally describe her as “the
real deal.”
In a world so dazzled by
the superficial, finding out
about someone like Nicole
Caridad is a breath of fresh
air. Sure, she looks like she
is always Instagram-ready
with stylish clothes, perfectly
done manicures, and flawless
make-up, but her style goes
beyond the superficial. Nicole
Caridad is highly educated.
She cherishes her doctorate
degree because she was the
first person in her family to
go to college straight out of
high school. She says higher
education was a powerful
experience for her, an
experience she feels many
people should be able to
attain.
Nicole deliberately moved to
New Orleans in 2012 after
completing her master’s
degree in Higher Education
Administration from NC State
University. Enticed by the rich
history of the Crescent City,
the cultural traditions, the food
scene, and the similarities to
the Caribbean, New Orleans
became Ralston’s clear choice
for relocating with her thenboyfriend,
now-husband. “I
really deep down felt called to
New Orleans... I really could
not imagine life anywhere
else. The food is amazing, the
culture is amazing, everything
about it I just love, and I feel
very honored to live and be in
this place and to call it home.”
Her father, an American of
Irish descent, met her Cuban
immigrant mother in Los
Angeles, where Ralston was
born. The family moved to
South Florida when Nicole
was a child. That’s where
Nicole grew up, surrounded
by her Cuban family and
enjoying weekends at a farm
in Homestead where she
learned to love her roots.
“I have beautiful memories
about being on the farm and
picking food and eating fresh
meat that grew in the farm...
Rabbits, chickens, goats, pigs…
Being in the kitchen with my
abuelo and mom, cooking.”
Her bicultural upbringing has
given Nicole a high awareness
of the social inequities people
experience. Growing up having
to navigate two very different
cultures, languages, food, and
customs instilled in Nicole a
sense of empathy and a deep
understanding of cross-cultural
communication, finding validity
in how individuals from other
cultures value different things.
Her higher education journey
was also one of finding herself
and understanding who she
really was. In many moments
of her life, having different
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