Nannie grew up in Ansonville, NC with her parents and four siblings. Although her real name is Jeanette, her dad gave her the nickname ‘Nannie’ for always taking care of others. Nannie lived by her name, and became a Certified Nursing Assistant. She loved her job and worked with senior citizens for twenty years. That was until she was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis, a chronic disease that affects your immune system, which made her retire from nursing.
When Nannie moved to Kannapolis, she focused on being a stay-at-home mother to her three children. A few years later, she started working at Value Village. While there, she met Keke, who remains a good friend. Recently, Keke graduated from CCSC, Class 59, and recommended our Workforce Training program to Nannie!
One tradition that is the most important to Nannie is her family dinners. Nannie’s core passion for cooking stems from making those meals for her family. With both her parents and four siblings deceased, Nannie’s children, grandchildren and god-children are her world. “Cooking keeps me busy and has helped me with my Sarcoidosis.”
Nannie’s day begins at 5 AM. She commutes over one hour from Kannapolis to be at School, on time and ready for a full day’s work. She values teamwork, a sense of urgency, and “mis en place,” the French principle of organization that CCSC emphasizes. Once she graduates, Nannie wants to build on her well-rounded culinary education so she can eventually pursue her dream of opening her own food truck. CCSC enjoys stories like Nannie’s and we can’t wait to see where she goes next after graduating!