Central New Yorker Becoming Big Food Star

A Central New York woman is a star in the making. She's getting rave reviews and write-ups in Bon Appetit, her industry's main magazine. Ashley Rath (pictured above with her parents Jean and Wayne) is on the rise in the culinary world. And it almost didn't happen.

She hails from the Syracuse area, where she grew up in Manlius. After graduating from Scotland's prestigious St Andrews University, she was all set to take her food sovereignty studies and put them to use with a job she lined up in India. But there was a mix-up with her visa and she landed in New York City.

After a quick series of hops, skips and leaps from intro positions to line cook to sous chef, she's now the chef de cuisine (the top dog) at The Grill, the new name of the famous Four Seasons in Manhattan.

Now. according to Bon Appetit, the 29-year-old is a "secret weapon" for The Grill's parent company, the Major Food Group. She's helped update the old-school cache of the Four Seasons into today's world and assisted in the launch of a few other restaurants as well.

You'll need a reservation to catch Ashley in action at The Grill, but if you go, here's what she's cookin' up: she likes meat and sauces, and she says she doesn't believe in a "composed plate." In other words, if you want potatoes, you'll have to order a side dish.

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