Restaurant owner of Dusty’s, Kindle and Nook graduates with a Bachelor of Nursing (Adult)
A Michelin-rated restaurateur has made a career change, swapping her apron for scrubs, as she graduates from Cardiff University’s School of Healthcare Sciences.
Cardiff mother of three, Deb Lewis, will graduate with a Bachelor of Nursing (Adult), and will soon start to care for patients across Cardiff.
The food entrepreneur has run successful Welsh restaurants for over a decade with her husband Phil, before deciding to return to higher education to study adult nursing following the loss of a family member.
Deb said:
“My career has taken a few different paths over the years. I first studied Marine Geography at Cardiff University before working in homelessness and social care. Later, my husband and I spent around 12 years building and running hospitality businesses together before I decided to return to university to study adult nursing.
“Losing a close family member showed me first-hand the difference compassionate nurses can make during some of the most difficult moments in a family’s life. My earlier work in homelessness services also reinforced how much I enjoyed supporting people through vulnerable periods and advocating on their behalf.
“Nursing had always been something I thought about, but life took me in different directions. We built our hospitality businesses, raised a family, and I loved those chapters of my life. Eventually, I reached a point where I realised that I didn’t want to regret not giving it a go.”
Deb and her husband Phil have been pillars of the food culture of Cardiff, running restaurants based in the city – including Kindle, Dusty’s and Nook, as well as sharing their culinary skills across Europe. In 2021, Nook was recognised in the Michelin Guide.
“Hospitality became a huge chapter of our lives. My husband has always been incredibly passionate about food and creating dishes, and together we built our businesses completely from the ground up. Over the years, we opened Dusty’s Pizzeria and later Nook Restaurant, we catered festivals, weddings and private events and enjoyed creating pop-up experiences inspired by our travels across Europe. We were always looking for new ideas and different ways to bring people together through food.
“One of the proudest moments was having Nook recognised in the Michelin Guide. For us, it wasn’t really about the recognition itself, it was knowing that something we’d built ourselves had been acknowledged for the quality and care we’d put into it,” said Deb.
In 2023, Deb decided to make a career change and enrolled in Cardiff University to study nursing, after completing the Pathway to Healthcare at Lifelong Learning.
“I wanted my work to have a different kind of purpose.
“Hospitality had given me so much, but after reflecting on my earlier experiences in social care and losing someone close to me, I realised I wanted to care for people in a different way.
“People often think hospitality and nursing couldn’t be more different, but I actually think they have so much in common. Both are busy, fast-paced environments where teamwork is everything. You need to communicate well, think ahead, prioritise, adapt quickly and stay calm under pressure. You’re constantly looking ahead, solving problems and relying on the people around you,” added Deb.
Alongside building a successful restaurant career, Deb and her husband were also parents to their three children – now aged 12, 10 and 8.
Deb said:
“It was a big decision because we had three young children, busy lives and I’d been away from education for a long time. But I knew that if I didn’t do it then, I’d probably never do it.
“Returning to Cardiff felt like coming home.
“When I decided to return to education, Cardiff was an easy choice. It has an excellent reputation for nursing, but what really stood out to me was how welcoming it is to mature students. I never felt like my age or previous career were barriers. Instead, I felt that my life experience was valued and that I was encouraged to build on it.”
Deb will join her cohort from the School of Healthcare Science on July 17, as they graduate and start their careers making a difference to patients in Wales, across the UK and globally.
“It’s a really exciting time. I’m looking forward to beginning my career as a registered nurse, continuing to learn every day and becoming part of a team where I can make a positive difference to patients’ lives,” added Deb.
