Local chef is national 30 under 30 semifinalist

MELISSA DENMARK WAS NAMED a semifinalist for Zagat's 30 under 30. /COURTESY GRACIE'S
MELISSA DENMARK WAS NAMED a semifinalist for Zagat's 30 under 30. /COURTESY GRACIE'S

PROVIDENCE – The user-driven restaurant reviewer Zagat is introducing a select list of young professionals in hospitality and food service this September to be called the Zagat 30 Under 30. To arrive at the magic number, a field of semifinalists has been announced including one chef from Rhode Island.

The local entrant is Melissa Denmark, the executive pastry chef of Gracie’s Restaurant and Ellie’s Bakery in Providence. Denmark, 28, developed the bread-and-pastry program at Ellie’s Bakery in 2012. That same year, Food & Wine named her one of the 50 Best New Pastry Chefs. She has also been named a Rising Star by culinary magazine StarChefs. Denmark is a 2010 graduate of Johnson and Wales University with a degree in baking and pastry arts.  She is one of eight pastry chefs nationwide to make the list of 45 semifinalists.

Zagat was founded in 1979 as the Zagat Survey of restaurant reviews by New Yorkers Tim and Nina Zagat. Providence and Newport restaurants were reviewed in the Boston edition of Zagat, which was acquired by Google in 2011.

Bruce Newbury is a PBN contributing writer.

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