By: Wendy Waren, LRA VP of Communications
At the edge of the
mighty Mississippi River, at the point where it takes its shape as a crescent,
sits the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, the largest hotel in Louisiana, and
where Tony Abadie found his place in the world of New Orleans’ most notable
industry—hospitality. As this year’s Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA)
Chair of its Board of Directors, his career ascension began three decades ago
when he became an assistant beverage manager there.
Abadie grew up in a
restaurant family. His grandfather Jerome “Mena” Maiorana was the general
manager at the original Acme Oyster House in New Orleans in the early 1950s
through the mid-1960s, before opening his own restaurant—Mena’s Place. It was
there Abadie got his start in the restaurant industry as his grandfather’s
busser and deliveryman, visiting businesses throughout the French Quarter.
“My grandfather was a
special person,” Abadie reminisces. “He never met a stranger and everyone loved
him. If someone didn’t have enough to pay for some of his heartwarming New
Orleans comfort food, he’d tell them to pay for it next time.”
Mena was so generous
that those people “down on their luck” sometimes felt compelled to leave a
possession behind to let him know they were good for it. It’s that
compassionate and caring nature that shaped a young Abadie into the man he is
today.
“I learned how to be a
nice guy from my grandfather, and how to make a Sazerac,” Abadie laughs.
“My whole family worked in that restaurant: my grandfather, my mother and her
sister, my father and his sister, my brothers…it was the epitome of a typical
family restaurant business.”
More restaurant and bar
jobs would follow as he paid his way through Louisiana State University while
studying mechanical engineering. His first and only internship led him to
discover that the career path of engineering wasn’t meant to be.
He returned home in
1982 to New Orleans for the first of many jobs with the Hilton. After moving up
through eight management positions, he currently holds the title of Director of
Catering and Events, where he oversees a division that produces hundreds of
annual events and more than 450,000 meals for hotel event attendees.
“Our job is to make
those magical moments come to life for our clients,” shared Abadie. “Everyone
has different expectations and listening is the key to delivering what they
want.”
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