TOP 5 RISING CHEFS 2008
Sue Zemanick

Zemanick began her culinary career at the tender age of 15, working in fine dining restaurants in her hometown of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Realizing that cooking was her calling, she enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America after high school and graduated at the top of her class. She stayed on at the CIA, becoming a chef-instructor in the seafood program. Her interest in the subject and a desire to return to restaurant kitchens led her to New Orleans where she took a position at Commander's Palace, then on to Gautreau's where she was promoted from sous chef to executive chef in 2005. Aside from Zemanick's gritty determination, we admire the 28-year-old's focus on bringing an edgier, even offbeat style to a restaurant whose foundation uplifts the elegant history of New Orleans.