Richard J. Brennan, Sr., New
Orleans Restaurateur, born in the Irish Channel, passed away the evening of
Saturday, March 14, surrounded by his family and loved-ones. Brennan was
the first in the family to serve as a Chair of the Louisiana Restaurant
Association (LRA) in 1961-1962, and to serve on the National Restaurant Association
Board of Directors.
“Mr. Brennan was an ambassador and
advocate for Louisiana’s restaurant industry,” said Stan Harris, President/CEO
of the LRA. “He was a visionary, who mentored some
of the most notable of chefs in New Orleans culinary history. Mr. Dick's last role for the LRA was serving as EXPO Co-Chair with his son, Dickie, in 2010.”
Brennan (better known as Dick)
was the embodiment of New Orleans. His contributions to New Orleans cuisine,
Mardi Gras and the overall culture of the city leave a legacy that is deeply
woven into the fabric of the place he called “home.”
He was born on Third Street in
the Irish Channel in November of 1931. Dick Brennan was the second youngest of
six children, in what would become the first family of fine dining Creole in
New Orleans. His life reads like a storybook, in which good fortune, hard work
and ingenuity led to many successes.
In high school at St. Aloysius,
Dick was a star basketball player. He was all-district and all-state for
his high school career, as was State MVP for three years (all except his
freshman year). Coach Rupp from the University of Kentucky recruited him for
their championship team. However, Dick’s mother fell ill prior to the start of
school, so he opted to stay close and attend college at Tulane University in
New Orleans. A star of their team, he led Tulane to victory over Kentucky in
his senior year—the only game that Kentucky lost that season. For his successes
on the basketball court, he was inducted into the Tulane Hall of Fame in 1991.
During college he began dating
the woman who would become his wife of nearly sixty years, Lynne Trist Brennan.
Dick met Lynne through his sister Dottie – Lynne’s friends from their years
attending the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans. Shortly after
graduating from Tulane, Lynne and Dick married. Dick completed two years of Law
School before he enlisted in the Army and was stationed in Augusta, Georgia and
Williamsburg, Virginia. When he returned to New Orleans, he intended to
finish Law school but his brother, Owen, and both parents passed away within a
year of one another, he instead went to work at the family’s restaurant,
Brennan’s on Royal Street. With his siblings, Dick was instrumental in opening
Brennan’s in Houston, Dallas and Atlanta, as well as Chez Francis in Metairie, Louisiana,
Mr. B’s Bistro and the Friendship House on the Gulf in Mississippi. During this
time he and Lynne had two children - a daughter, Lauren, and a son, Dickie Jr.
In 1973 the Brennan’s split their
restaurant interests, and Dick along with his siblings John, Adelaide, Ella and
Dottie took control of Commander’s Palace. The New Orleans’ Garden District
landmark had faded over the years and the siblings were tasked with reviving
the nearly 100-year-old restaurant. Dick was passionate about New Orleans and
America. He recognized the sheer bounty of our region, including
ingredients and talent. Instead of European chefs, he hired from the area. Paul
Prudhomme and Dick collaborated on dishes that today have become synonymous
with New Orleans cuisine. He walked to work each day from his house on
Third St., and each day he passed a pecan tree. He wondered why almonds were
used to coat fish and not pecans that grow locally? From this simple question
posed to Chef Prudhomme, pecan crusted fish was born.
In an interview with The Times
Picayune, Emeril Lagasse once said, “You could have no better mentors that
Ella and Dick. They are absolutely the best. They are
legends. They are masters of the restaurant business.” Emeril was
the Executive Chef at Commander’s Palace from 1982 – 1989.
