Documenting, studying, and celebrating the diverse food cultures of the changing American South.
Oral History Project Index
SFA Founders
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INTERVIEWS
Ann Abadie
Kaye Adams
Jim Auchmutey
Marilou Awiakta
Ben Barker
Karen Barker
Ella Brennan
Ann Brewer
Karen Cathey
Leah Chase
Al Clayton
Mary Ann Clayton
Shirley Corriher
Norma Jean Darden
Crescent Dragonwagon
Nathalie Dupree
John T. Edge
John Egerton
Lolis Eric Elie
Donna Florio
John Folse
Terry Ford
Psyche Williams-Forson
Damon Lee Fowler
Vertamae Grosvenor
Jessica B. Harris
Cynthia Hizer
Portia James
Martha Johnston
Sally Belk King
Sarah Labensky
Edna Lewis
Rudy Lombard
Ronni Lundy
Louis Osteen
Marlene Osteen
Timothy W. Patridge
Paul Prudhomme
Joe Randall
Marie Rudisill
Dori Sanders
Richard Schweid
Ned Shank
Kathy Starr
Frank Stitt
Pardis Stitt
Marion Sullivan
Van Sykes
John Martin Taylor
Toni Tipton-Martin
Jeanne Voltz
Charles Reagan Wilson
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Interviews by SFA Members and Friends.
Project sponsored by Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q.
People’s entertainment was around the dinner table. People would visit—‘Who are you going to have dinner with tonight? What are you going to have for dinner? So and so is coming in town next week, what are you going to do about dinner?’
~Ella Brennan
Born and raised in New Orleans, Ell Brennan is the matriarch of one of the region’s most prominent and successful restaurant families. At the age of 19, Brennan began working with her brother, Owen Brennan, who purchased a restaurant in the French Quarter. Since then, she has devoted her life to the restaurant industry.
In 1969 the Brennan family took over Commander’s Palace. That restaurant became Ella Brennan’s priority. Thanks to her, Commander’s Palace is now one of the city’s most beloved restaurants, synonymous with impeccable service and what Brennan calls “Haute Creole” cuisine. In 2002, SFA awarded her the Craig Claiborne Lifetime Achievement Award. She lives in New Orleans.
SUBJECT: Ella Brennan, SFA Founder
DATE: April 13, 2005
LOCATION: Ms. Brennan's Home - New Orleans, LA
INTERVIEWER: Sarah O'Kelley, SFA Member
*TRANSCRIPT: To download a full transcript of this interview in PDF form, please click here.
