Foodiot

I don’t really know Sue Zemanick, but I celebrate my birthday at her place every year.

For the past three years, my wife and I have celebrated my birthday at Gautreau’s in Uptown New Orleans, the well-hidden restaurant where Zemanick serves as Executive Chef. The place is so damn cozy (okay, small) that when we go there it feels as if we’re barging in on a private dinner party Zemanick is hosting at her home.

I’ve seen Zemanick there, but I’ve never actually spoken to her. She makes regular appearances in the dining room, chatting up guests while sporting a ‘Hornets teal’ chef’s jacket. I believe she stopped at our table once and asked about our meal, but my mouth was full of lovingly prepared rainbow trout at the time and my wife had to respond on our behalf.

My point is that, until recently, what I knew about Zemanick, I knew from the amazing dishes she prepares; dishes that stick with me long after I leave and that have prompted me to rave about Gautreau’s to everyone who has ever asked me where to eat in New Orleans. Dishes like, well, this…

Delicious looking, no? Trust me, if you go to Gautreau’s, you should try whatever fish is on the menu that night (it changes regularly). You can’t go wrong. Here, let’s take another look…

So, if you’re getting the idea that I like Gautreau’s and that I’m a fan of Sue Zemanick, you are correct. In fact, when I have excellent meals at other restaurants, I refer to them as “Zemanick-ian” (it’s easier than “Gautreau’s-ish). That’s why I was tremendously fired up when I heard that Zemanick was going to compete on the spring 2011 edition of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters. When the show premiered in April, I put on my official, teal “Zemanick #1″ jersey and prepared to tune in.

Initially, I believed that Top Chef Masters would help shed a little light on just who Sue Zemanick was, but it didn’t. In fact, I believe ended up learning more about how reality TV works than anything else.

Outsize personalities rule the day in Reality TV and, I don’t believe that Zemanick was as wacky or “colorful” as some of the other contestants. Also, I have to believe, early episode editing of these shows provides more than a few hints about who will be making a season-long journey and who will be gone in a matter of weeks. From the word ‘go’, Zemanick seemed almost invisible. Sure, the roguishly-handsome-but-smarmy Aussie host (I don’t recall his name. He’s supposedly a good chef. Whatever…) occasionally acknowledged her (see photo below), but it wasn’t enough.

Sue was voted off in the second or third week in an episode that actually made me like Christina Hendricks a little less (for about 10 minutes anyway). I won’t go into the details. You can read all about it for yourself here or check out Sue’s “post-game” interview. What it meant was that I didn’t get to know Zemanick any better, nor did the rest of America. However, while it’s certainly a shame for America, I realized that this didn’t matter so much to me.

What I’ve learned about Zemanick is that she’s one of the best damn chefs in New Orleans and each year, her cooking helps me forget how old I’m getting. That’s the perfect birthday gift and all I really need to know.