Legendary Chef Susan Spicer Celebrates 25 Years In at Bayona Tomorrow

Chef Susan Spicer's French Quarter landmark Bayona turns 25 this month, and Chris Waddington has the low down on the big celebration.  Tomorrow night, April 8, the restaurant will offer a menu of Spicer's greatest hits—"cream of garlic soup, veal sweetbreads with lemon caper butter, chile-rubbed Louisiana duck breast in house-made mole" are a few of her beloved signature dishes—with seatings at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. The dinner is $85/person with more details here.

As for chef Spicer, who has spent the past 25+ years earning a spot among New Orleans' most regarded chefs of all time, she's helped launch the careers of chefs Donald Link, John Harris and Aaron Burgau among many others, penned a cookbook, preempted the post-Katrina farm-to-table revolution, and only recently traded out her service clogs for some nerdier orthopedic shoes. Here's a taste of what she has to say about her success:

"I put my blessing on each dish and every plate before it leaves the kitchen. It's a good job for a chef who is a control freak— and that's how I am about my food. I have always been a hands-on chef, and if that's not the smartest approach to the business, I can live with it. My regulars want me here, in the kitchen."