While earning an economics degree from Emory University in Atlanta, local chef Aaron Vandemark balanced spreadsheets in the financial sector by day and filled wine glasses and ice bins by night.
“I’d run home after work and change into my nighttime clothes, take off the suit and go back to work at the restaurant,” Vandemark said.
He fell in love with the restaurant atmosphere and after graduation attended Johnson & Wales University to try his hand in the food world.
Now he’s being celebrated as one of the best chefs in the southeast.
Last week Vandemark, who opened Panciuto in Hillsborough, was announced as a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation award for the Best Chefs in America. He is also a nominee in the southeast region for Food & Wine magazine’s “People’s Best New Chef.”
“He is the soul of the restaurant,” said Lauren Vandemark, Aaron Vandemark’s sister and front house manager. “As young as the restaurant is, I want someone to recognize his work.”
In the summer of 2006, Aaron Vandemark opened his first restaurant in downtown Hillsborough, Panciuto, which features Italian cuisine made with Southern flavor.
And after years 65-hour workweeks, he is finally getting some attention.
The James Beard awards have been compared to the Oscars of the food world, and Vandemark is one of 20 finalists for the title in the southeast region.