BRAVO.COM- Bio for Top Chef Masters

Sue Zemanick knew at an early age she wanted to be a chef and has accumulated quite a cache of accolades in her young career. She was a 2008 Food & Wine "Top 10 Best New Chef," named 2008 "Chef of the Year" by New Orleans Magazine, one of "5 Chefs to Watch" by Louisiana Cookin' Magazine and a Finalist for James Beard's "Rising Star Chef" Award in 2009 and 2010 among other honors. Born and raised in Wilkes- Barre, Pennsylvania, she attended a summer program at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New Hyde Park, New York. At the age of 15, she was immediately hooked on the culinary profession and in 2001 graduated from the CIA. After stints in upstate New York and at Oceana in New York City, Zemanick moved to New Orleans, Louisiana in 2003. She began working at the city's famed Commander's Palace before moving to Gautreau's in 2004. She was named executive chef in 2005 where she is still bringing culinary wonders to the Uptown area. Gautreau's was badly damaged during Hurricane Katrina and closed for a year and a half to go under repair and renovation. Once it reopened in February 2007, Zemanick was able to put her mark on the new Gautreau's. The restaurant offers Modern French and contemporary Louisiana fare using only fresh ingredients.

Sue Zemanick

2008 Best New Chef Award Profile

Why she won Because she has imbued a 25-year-old New Orleans restaurant with fresh energy, deftly adding modern European touches to a classic menu.

Born Wilkes-Barre, PA; 1981.

Education Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY.

Experience Oceana, New York City; Commander's Palace, New Orleans.

Favorite childhood dish Pierogies, which she would make with her grandmother Elizabeth Yanok for their local church fund-raisers. "We'd fill them with wild mushrooms that we'd foraged. All the old ladies would yell at us that we were doing it wrong."

Favorite after-hours hangout d.b.a., in New Orleans. "It's a great, beautiful bar. I get vodka and soda in a plastic cup. My father owned a bar, so I know that plastic cups are the best way to go?a bar sink isn't always the most sanitary place."

Favorite cookbook Alain Ducasse's Grand Livre de Cuisine. "It's, like, 1,000 pages. I don't really use the recipes, but I always find inspiration there."

Interview with Rising Star Nominee Sue Zemanick

Though she's already packed her knives and left the latest season of Top Chef Masters, we think Sue Zemanick of Gautreau's is doing just fine. After all, the New Orleans star has nabbed a nomination for our Rising Star Chef of the Year Award three years in a row. Read on to discover what she told us about her favorite eats in the Crescent City and more.

JBF: Gautreau's is the second restaurant you've worked at in New Orleans. What is it about working in that city that appeals to you?

SZ: I love the people and culture. Everyone in NOLA loves great food, music, and cocktails, and that's basically all that we do?eat amazing food, listen to live music, and enjoy delicious drinks.

JBF: Have you felt any impact from the oil spill at your restaurant?

SZ: Yes. People were afraid to come to New Orleans after the spill, while the ones who did come were afraid to eat the seafood. Our fisherman and shrimpers could no longer get any seafood from the Gulf so we had to get it from other sources. I also had to change our menu to reflect that shortage, which meant
putting more protein on the menu than usual. It was a very traumatic, emotional, and depressing time. While seafood became more readily available last fall, we have only started to see a return to normal business at the restaurant over the course of the last two months. JBF: What's your favorite dish on the Gautreau's menu right now and why?

SZ: We have a roasted veal chop with Tuscan bread pudding, Lacinato kale, and veal reduction. The bread pudding is cheesy, rich, and delicious, and kale is my favorite vegetable.
JBF: Where do you eat when you're not at work?

SZ: I really enjoy the vast array of Vietnamese restaurants in the NOLA area. My favorites are Tan Dinh and Pho Tau Bay.

JBF: Are there any specialties of New Orleans cuisine that you particularly enjoy?

SZ: Any kind of boiled seafood! I love boiled crabs, crayfish, and shrimp.

JBF: What's your favorite cookbook and why?

SZ: David Chang's Momofuku. I love the way he thinks about food and flavor combinations.

JBF: What's your earliest food memory?

SZ: Eating my grandmothers lemon pie. I loved it so much I would lick the plate clean!