In the small kitchen at Zasu , the staff was preparing for a typical Monday dinner service as several chefs from new Orleans and the Gulf Coast were in South Carolina, eagerly waiting to learn if they'd earned a coveted Michelin Star.

But Zasu owner and chef Sue Zemanick did not expect any special recognition. did not expect getting any recognition.

So she was with her staff on Nov. 3, preparing as though it was any other day.

Then, murmurs began about which restaurants were on the list and "congratulations" texts started popping up on Zemanick's phone.

“I didn't know that we would even be considered,” she said on the Thursday after the announcement.

After getting a surprise of her life, it took a while for the shock to wear off as dinner service carried on.

"We were so busy at t

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