Susan Spicer
Bayona and Rosedale | New Orleans
SEPTEMBER 2022
The 2022 class of New Orleans Rising Stars anonymously voted on a Mentor Award Winner, presented by Vitamix Commercial. The award goes to a chef who supports and inspires young restaurant professionals in their community. For her ability to nurture talent, combined with her generosity, skill, and vision, Susan Spicer is the recipient of the 2022 StarChefs New Orleans Mentor Award.
Susan Spicer started cooking for fun. It wasn’t until she apprenticed with Chef Daniel Bonnot at the Louis XVI Restaurant that she was officially hooked. She spent the next four years there, learning the ins and outs of traditional French cuisine. In 1982, Spicer moved to France to stage at the Sofitel Paris under Chef Roland Durand, then returned to New Orleans to work at Savoir-Faire. She continued to travel around the world, jumping from France to California to New Orleans, all the while cooking on the line at Hotel Meridien and becoming the chef at Bistro at Maison de Ville.
In 1990, Spicer partnered with Regina Keever to open Bayona, located in a cozy, 200-year old Creole cottage. In the years following, Spicer achieved national acclaim for the restaurant, including a James Beard Award for “Best Chef Southeast.” She released a cookbook in 2007, titled, Crescent City Cooking: Unforgettable Recipes from Susan Spicer’s New Orleans, which was recognized as New Orleans Magazine’s “Best New Cookbook” and Food & Wine’s “Best of the Best Recipe Collection.” Spicer launched her second restaurant, Mondo, in 2010, with a menu of globally-inspired dishes served family-style. She followed it up with Rosedale in 2016, a neighborhood eatery showcasing Spicer’s takes on Louisiana home cooking. As a leading force in the New Orleans restaurant industry, Spicer continues to lead young chefs towards a culinary career that is both exciting and sustainable.
