MNPS Voices: Jeannine Nava, Culinary Arts Instructor, McGavock High School

When Jeannine Nava steps into the kitchen classroom at McGavock High School, she brings with her nearly two decades of professional culinary experience – and a deep belief that food can change lives.  

A Career and Technical Education (CTE) culinary arts instructor with Metro Nashville Public Schools for the past year and three months, Nava describes the role simply: She wears “many hats,” but above all, “my main job is to teach my students how to cook.” 

Raised in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley, Nava’s culinary path started at age 2, perched on a kitchen chair beside her grandmother. She credits her grandmother with teaching her how to cook from scratch, creating “a delicious meal with minimal ingredients for a large family.” An Indigenous American of the Pascua-Yaqui Nation, Nava also spent summers picking fruit alongside her family, learning firsthand the labor and love behind each ingredient. 

Nava graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in California. Her résumé spans restaurant management, catering, private cheffing for celebrities, and the high-volume pace of large, resort-style kitchens in Las Vegas. Most recently, she served as executive chef at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville before coming to MNPS. 

At McGavock, Nava’s teaching centers on ProStart and American Culinary Federation learning standards – “the kind of curriculum a student would see in culinary school,” she explains. Many of her students are “culinary-forward” and hope to pursue the field after graduation.  

“I give them the foundation skills needed for culinary school – how to work in the kitchen, the terminology. If students don’t choose culinary school, they’re still able to go into a kitchen and work.” 

Beyond knife cuts and mise en place – the preparation required before cooking can begin – Nava ensures students practice entrepreneurship.  

“I am teaching them entrepreneurship skills with our food truck. So even if a student doesn’t want to cook, they can learn the business side of food service. There are many roles in a food service business. Even our café requires permits to operate as a legitimate business.” 

Loving Food – and Learning the Science Behind It 

Nava’s classroom is busy, hands-on, and increasingly farm-to-classroom. Students cook from scratch, and even a simple batch of cookies becomes a lesson in food science, demonstrating “the different types of flours” and how each behaves in a recipe. One of Nava’s favorite projects is the culinary garden, where students grow and harvest the produce they prepare in class.  

“I want my students to put their hands in the dirt and know that food requires love, attention, and cultivation all the way to the kitchen. I am teaching them to respect the process – because food is medicine.” 

Nava’s cooking reflects both heritage and curiosity. Picking a single favorite dish is tough, but she’s “very fond of Armenian barbecue.” In the kitchen, her signature is a fry bread taco – ground bison, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, and a cool fold of sour cream – an irresistible blend of flavor, texture, and tradition.  

And her philosophy is as simple as it is profound: “Food is a love language. Learn how to love what you are making.” 

Her Every Student Known vision extends to students with special needs, who cook in the kitchen, participate in practicum and instruction, and learn “all the different types of cuts.” The curriculum remains the same for everyone but includes a safety overlay.  

“They are learning life skills alongside job skills,” including confidence, teamwork, time management, and the competence to contribute in a professional kitchen, she says. 

For Nava, the heart of the work is the students themselves.  

“My students inspire me daily. Some of them come from tough backgrounds and have been through a lot in their young life. My classroom is a safe space. I love to hear them tell me, ‘Chef, the only reason I come to school is because of Culinary.’  

“That’s a great feeling; it inspires me to want to be here every day and teach them what they are eager to learn and how they can utilize these skills later on.” 

Her drive to mentor the next generation is rooted in an industry tradition: “In the culinary industry, it’s common practice to mentor and develop the next upcoming chef,” she says.  

Nava brings that same ethos to McGavock, connecting students with real-world experiences. She and her students keep moving forward with a long list of catering events, including plans to bring the Raider Bites food truck to the MNPS Support Hub on May 8.