Chefs to watch 2008

Each year, Louisiana Cookin' publishes a feature announcing five Louisiana Chefs to Watch in our August issue. The honorees are carefully selected through nominations by restaurant industry leaders and follow-up "secret shoppers" dinners. These chefs then cook a gourmet, five-course benefit dinner, paired with wines, donating their time and their cuisine. The 7th Annual CTW Dinner was held on Tuesday August 26, 2008 at Harrahs in New Orleans. The 5-course dinner will benefit Cafe Reconcile.

David Bridges, Executive Chef/Owner, Bella Fresca, Shreveport. Dave Bridges’ journey for what he calls his search for “The Truth” led him to study cuisine in Montpelier, Vermont, where he graduated from the New England Culinary Institute in 1994. He worked at the Brass Parrot in St. Croix in the U.S.V.I., Mike’s On The Avenue in New Orleans, and Criolla’s in Grayton Beach, Florida before settling down in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he opened Bella Fresca Restaurant. To Dave, the search for the “truth” means finding every facet that goes into making the perfect dish—the cooking vessel, cooking fat, seasoning, and the perfect type of flour—to optimize it but never lose its essence.  This philosophy has shaped Bella Fresca Restaurant into a pantheon of artisan products that are cooked with regional traditions in a modern atmosphere.

Justin Devillier, Executive Chef, La Petite Grocery, New Orleans. Justin Devillier’s journey as a chef has taken him all over the world, starting in his hometown of Dana Point, California. Growing up with home-cooked meals and fishing on a regular basis, Justin developed a love for food and cooking. As a teenager, he worked in a restaurant as a dishwasher and garde manger, but at age 18, he took a turn and traveled the world for two years as a guitar tech for a production company. His travels introduced him to great cuisines of Europe as well as all of North America's bounty. When he headed home, he knew he’d found his calling—and it wasn’t being a roadie.
Justin has family roots in Louisiana, and he often spent summers down South.  In 2003, he officially moved to New Orleans and worked at renowned New Orleans establishments like Ralph Brennan’s Bacco and Stella!. Justin worked with Chef Anne Kearny-Sands at Peristyle learning the ins and outs of French cuisine and was responsible for preparing daily charcuterie specials.  In June 2004, Justin joined the restaurant staff at La Petite Grocery.  There, he continued to hone his skills as a line cook in a fine dining atmosphere under Chef Anton Schulte.  From appetizers to daily fish specials to desserts, Justin began to contribute menu items of his own.  He soon moved up in the ranks and became Sous Chef in October 2005. 
Justin helped reestablish La Petite Grocery after Hurricane Katrina, including managing daily specials and training new line cooks.  In February 2007, he became the Executive Chef.  Under his management, Justin is able to showcase his talents, letting many of his culinary tricks out of the bag, by creating an ever-evolving menu of fine French cuisine with a South Louisiana twist and continuing to cater to the palates of local New Orleanians and leisure travelers alike.

Spencer Minch, Chef de Cuisine, Emeril’s Delmonico, New Orleans. Spencer Minch has been influenced by the rich culture of the South since an early age. Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, Spencer began his career in the food world at age 15.
After graduating from Johnson & Wales in 1996, he was immediately attracted to the diverse food scene in New Orleans and set his sights on some of the city’s best kitchens.  Starting at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Spencer shared his passion for food and worked his way through popular local haunts, including Mr. B’s Bistro in the French Quarter.
In 2001, Spencer joined Emeril’s Delmonico as a line cook. He became Sous Chef in 2004 and was upped to Executive Sous Chef in 2005. In the spring of 2007, Spencer took over the reigns at one of New Orleans’ oldest and most legendary establishments, Emeril’s Delmonico Restaurant & Bar, as Chef de Cuisine. He is inspired by the same Creole traditions that Delmonico pioneered, as well as classic southern and old world cuisines, served to his guests with a distinct modern aesthetic.

Jude Tauzin, Chef/Owner, Catahoula’s Restaurant, Grand Coteau. Jude Tauzin is a native of Louisiana.  He grew up in Opelousas, watching, with the hope of emulating, the cooking of his mother and grandmothers.  He began his cooking career at Oakbourne Country Club under Chef Marty Cosgrove.  During his time at Oakbourne, he decided to turn his childhood passion into a career.  He left the state in 1992 to attend Johnson & Wales University for Culinary Arts in Charleston, South Carolina.  Upon returning to Louisiana, he went to work for Tony Chachere’s Creole Foods, testing recipes for the Second Helping cookbook. He later accepted the position of Sous Chef at Charley G’s in Lafayette, before moving to Atlanta, Georgia to serve as Executive Chef at the creation of Comeaux’s Louisiana Bar & Grill. 
In 1997, he left Atlanta to return to his Louisiana roots, accepting the Executive Chef position at Oakbourne Country Club where his cooking career began.  Eleven years later, Chef Tauzin has worked at a variety of restaurants from Rockfish Grill in Dallas and Houston, Texas, Lafayette’s Restaurant, and Le Triomphe Country Club.  Chef Jude’s diverse culinary experiences have been combined to create the successful chef and restaurant owner he is today. In January 2007 he took over Catahoula’s restaurant in Grand Coteau blending his Southern heritage and French culinary skill.

Sue Zemanick, Executive Chef, Gautreau’s, New Orleans. Susan Zemanick began her culinary career at the early age of fifteen while working in fine dining restaurants in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She quickly realized that cooking was her passion and calling. After high school she enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Graduating in the top of her class, she was given an opportunity to work one on one with a Chef-Instructor as a fellow in the seafood department at the Institute. During that fellowship she developed a great love for fish and seafood, which brought her naturally to New Orleans. Upon arriving in New Orleans, she began cooking at Commander’s Palace. She later moved on to work at Gautreau’s Restaurant, under Top Ten Food and Wine winner Mat Wolf. After working her way up the ranks she was promoted to Executive Chef in 2005. In 2007 the Times-Picayune named her one of “Seven Chefs to Watch.”