She recalls the satisfaction of creating a recipe booklet for a senior year cooking class , taking time on the presentation of the food so that her photos made even simple dishes look exciting .

Back then , she and classmates made easy entrees , like spaghetti . These days , she ’ s creating dishes like charred octopus with fingerling potatoes and chimichurri .

Moreno is the executive chef at Oakhill Wine and Bistro in northeast Fresno and has a long and varied resume of culinary work , including a French restaurant in San Diego .

A group of Roosevelt High alumni visited her at Oakhill a few months ago . They graduated ahead of Moreno , but wanted to show their support for a fellow Rough Rider .

“ It is always really nice to meet guests in the restaurant , but this was a really special moment . I ’ m proud of my upbringing , where I come from , and my journey . Thank you so much for making my night ! This was a beautiful and humbling moment ,” Moreno posted on her social media .

Moreno grew up in southeast Fresno , attending Winchell Elementary School and Sequoia Middle School before graduating from Roosevelt in 1999 . A turning point for her at Roosevelt was a challenge from her business teacher , Lindsay Sanders . Moreno needed to pass the class or risk not graduating . Sanders said if she improved her grades and graduated , she would buy her dinner at Echo , at that time a top restaurant in the Tower District .

“ That moment , her taking me to Echo , changed my life ,” Moreno said . ( Sanders later rose to be a principal and top administrator in Fresno Unified and is now superintendent of Fowler Unified School District .)

After high school , Moreno worked for her brother ' s catering business but also trained to be an emergency medical technician . Ultimately , she enrolled in culinary school in Fresno and began specializing in baking . Baking was her first love : “ I ’ m known for my cheesecakes .”

She worked in various restaurants , including Echo , and even supervised 25 inmates as a chef at Corcoran State Prison . She took a break from cooking for seven years and worked in the exports industry .

“ But I was bored out of my mind ,” she said , constantly looking at recipes and YouTube cooking videos .

“ I decided , either I dive into cooking or leave it behind forever ,” Moreno said .

She moved to San Diego . When COVID hit , she took an eight-week class in Mexico , studying the foods of Baja . Rejuvinated , she returned to working in fine restaurants . She was offered her dream job as a chef in San Franciso , but while waiting for the restaurant to open , the Oakhill job in Fresno came along last spring . The owner said to her , “ Show me what you got . Be creative .”

“ I don ’ t have a certain style of food . I want to make comfort food , but I want to be bold ,” Moreno said .

Her ambitions do not end in the kitchen cooking fancy food . She ’ d like to open a cooking school for young people to give them job skills and opportunities to be successful .

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