On Oct. 6, the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience honored Ralph Brennan, restaurateur and head of the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, whose storied restaurants have been the setting for many New Orleans weddings and celebrations, with the Elle Brennan Lifetime Achievement in Hospitality Award. The honor is given each year to a New Orleanian who has made a lifetime commitment to the city’s food experience.
“Although this is a lifetime achievement award, there is more to come, and I am excited for the future,” says Brennan.
The NOWFE website explains the award is given to a person who “has made a lifetime commitment to the hospitality industry through extraordinary leadership, personal and professional accomplishments and philanthropic contributions to the community.”
The Brennan family is arguably responsible for the current advancement and achievements of the New Orleans culinary scene since the mid 1900s. The honor is named after the remaining Brennan family matriarch, Ella Brennan, because of her “deep passion and commitment which has made a significant and longstanding impact on the New Orleans hospitality industry.”
It’s only natural that the award would go to her nephew and current New Orleans restaurant giant Ralph Brennan. We asked Ralph Brennan how he felt about receive the honor,
“I am humbled to receive an award which carries my aunt’s name, who was a mentor to me,” says Ralph Brennan. “I've been very lucky to grow up and work with a wonderful restaurant family and to live in a city where food is such an integral part of our culture.”
Take a peek inside one of the restaurateur’s many local eateries, Brennan’s Restaurant, which was an LTEC location spotlight from 2015 and learn about the variety of party spaces and amenities offered to couples for their weddings.
