Susan Spicer

The Path

Rigor and curiosity are the throughline in the training and early kitchen work that shaped Susan Spicer’s approach. Those rooms demanded discipline and attention to detail, and they set the terms for a career that has stayed exacting without narrowing in range. From there, the work moved across New Orleans in a way that tracked both the city’s dining changes and Spicer’s own widening scope. She later became owner/chef at Savior Faire in St. Charles Hotel, New Orleans, then owner/chef at Bistro at Maison de Ville in Hotel Maison de Ville, New Orleans (from 1986), where her name became tied to considered cooking in polished settings. She moved on to owner at Spice, Inc. In New Orleans (1997–1999), co-owner at Wild Flour Breads in New Orleans, and co-owner/partner at Herbsaint in New Orleans (from 2000), each role adding another layer to a body of work that kept shifting. Today, Susan is co-owner/chef of Bayona (since 1990), owner/chef of Mondo (since 2010), and owner/chef of Rosedale (since 2016). Across those rooms, the work maps different registers of her cooking while staying clearly within the same hand.

The Work Today

At Bayona, the cooking associated with Susan Spicer is built on imaginative combinations and a globally informed use of local ingredients. The restaurant has remained the clearest expression of her sensibility: layered but controlled, expressive without losing line, and attentive to what the market and city can give. Her own description of the process is plain and physical: “I still lose myself in the process of cooking and using all five senses to bring a dish together!” The sentence says as much about method as it does about appetite for the work itself. At Mondo in New Orleans, the food is served family-style, which changes the rhythm of the table and frames the dishes as shared rather than isolated. At Rosedale in New Orleans, the cooking reflects New Orleans and Louisiana home cooking, with comfort and regional memory built into the format. Taken together, the three restaurants show the span of Spicer’s range: cosmopolitan at Bayona, communal at Mondo, and grounded in home at Rosedale.

Signature

Susan's signature dishes include Garlic Soup and Sweet Potato Pie with Praline Sauce. The pairing shows the balance she has made her own: one direct and savory, the other built on sweetness and Southern richness, each memorable for the way it holds its shape on the palate.

In Their Words “I still lose myself in the process of cooking and using all five senses to bring a dish together!”

Acclaim

Susan's honors include James Beard Foundation's Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America (2010), James Beard Award (1993), Ivy Award, Nations Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame, Mondavi Culinary Excellence Award, and Food & Wine Best New Chef (1989). The list points to a career recognized for both achievement and staying power, with Spicer’s work standing well beyond a single dining room.