Chef Traci Vincent is a 2003 graduate of LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication with a concentration in Public Relations. After graduation, she moved to Washington, D.C., and was able to secure employment as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill.

Soon after her move, Traci became homesick and retreated to her kitchen to create those flavors she missed from home. Coworkers also missed food from home and often requested meals that she prepared.  During trips home she would pack her luggage with native Louisiana products and ingredients. This retreat to her kitchen soon turned into a catering business.

However, Traci was on track to pursue a career in public health.

In 2011, despite the demands of a fast-paced legislative environment, Traci Was able to obtain an advanced degree with a Master of Arts in Government from Johns Hopkins Univeristy’s Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences in Baltimore, MD.  During a post-grad fellowship at the US Department of Health & Human Services, her interest in grew in in culinary arts.  This was a calling she could no longer ignore.  In 2013, Traci made the decision to move home and attend culinary school.  Before she moved, she established her own culinary consulting company:  TVA Consulting, LLC. 

Chef Traci is the sole proprietor of TVA Consulting, LLC.  In her role as a private chef and consultant, she provides practical & customized nutritional advice to each client on how to navigate food choices, empowering them to live healthier lives based on their individual needs and goals.

In 2015, she successfully completed all course requirements from the Louisiana Culinary Institute (LCI) in Baton Rouge and now holds an Associates Degree in Advanced Culinary Arts.  While at LCI, Traci served as President of the Student Council and Representative of Class 36.  She has participated in the following cooking competitions – Race to Cannes and LCI’s Home Plate.  Also, as a freshaman culinary student, in 2014, her culinary team “The Fond,” placed second in the seafood gumbo category at the Heart Strings and Angel Wings Foundation’s Annual Gumbo Cook-Off in Henderson, LA.  Traci is a 2014 recipient of the James Beard Foundation Louisiana chefs for Cookery Award, a 2015 National Academic Scholarship award, and a two-year recipient of the Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation’s Hospitality Leadership Scholarship Award.

Previously, Traci worked as  a lead line cook at Le Creole Restaurant and The Little Village of Wayne Stabiler Companies in Baton Rouge.  She also has served as the morning Chef in the kitchen of the Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA) Sorority House at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA.  She began blending spices to more efficiently prepare favorite meals for rush and tailgating crowds.  This was the beginning of Chef Traci’s one-step spice blends.  The four spice blends:  Taco Tuesday, Cajun Blackened Blend, Far East, and Sesame Stir Fry are sold as local blends by Red Stick Spice Company.

Shop Spice Blends here