Under Ella’s Umbrella By Marcelle Bienvenu, photos courtesy Commander’s Palace I met Ella Brennan in 1971 when I was working on American Cooking: Creole and Acadian for Time-Life books. We became instant friends. After my assignment was finished, I went to work at the University of New Orleans, but Miss Ella and I kept in touch.
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ne day, she invited me to visit her at Commander’s Palace, which she and her siblings had recently purchased. We sat in the courtyard, where we had a Sazerac and talked about food — both Creole and Acadian. She wanted to know about what we cooked in the country, and I was delighted to learn more about New Orleans cuisine. When we were making our goodbyes, she asked if I would be interested in coming to work with her. I was astounded. I didn’t know anything about the restaurant business other than that I enjoyed eating good food. “Miss Ella, I don’t know, restaurants are open at night, on weekends and on holidays, and I like having time to date and to enjoy my new home in New Orleans,” I explained. She promised that she wouldn’t make me work bad hours. I would be working in the catering department, booking tour groups, private parties, weddings and business meetings. I acquiesced. Within a week, I was at my desk in a tiny office behind the courtyard at Commander’s. The office also accommodated Ella’s office, the purchasing agent’s office, and it was busy with the comings and goings of other staff members, from servers (we called them waiters back then) to captains to maître d’s, and a constant slew of visitors. While my position was to book, plan and execute events, I soon learned I had to know what the restaurant could accommodate — seating capacities, different menus (brunch, lunch, rehearsal dinners, cocktail parties, business meetings) — to ensure each guest had a great dining experience. Miss Ella made us all have turns at the front desk to meet and greet guests. Several times, I was told to come in at 5:00 a.m. to work with our purchasing agent when orders
arrived and to check and re-check orders to ensure the quality and quantity. Many times, I stayed late to assist managers in taking inventories of liquor and wine, and checking the number of base plates, silverware, napkins and anything else that needed counting. Miss Ella also made sure that we sent thank-you notes to those who hosted parties or came to enjoy a celebratory meal. I soon realized that I was working long hours, but was surprised I enjoyed it — despite sore feet and my diminishing social life. In 1975, Miss Ella and her siblings brought in Chef Paul Prudhomme to be executive chef. When Ella and her family announced that they were going to hire Paul, I was stunned. I couldn’t imagine a restaurant of Commander’s caliber with a “Cajun” chef. At the time, you would have been hard-pressed to find a restaurant in the Crescent City offering chicken and Andouille gumbo. (Heck, few people other than those living in Acadiana had ever heard of Andouille.) I explained to Miss Ella that the chicken in a Cajun gumbo was cooked “with bones and skin” and the sophisticated diners at Commander’s wouldn’t like to have to handle whole thighs and breasts in their bowl of gumbo. “No problem, Marcelle. We’ll take the chicken off the bone before it’s served,” said Miss Ella, who always knew how to solve any problem for her dining guests. It was an exciting time to see the menu overhauled with Chef Paul’s creativity and the Brennans’ ability to combine Cajun and Creole on their menu. In 1977, Miss Ella suggested that it was time for me to be in a managerial position and sent me to Brennan’s of Houston to be assistant general manager. Needless to say, I was quite flattered, but I knew I would have to continue learning about the business. And indeed I did, but in 1979, I had the opportunity to return to south Louisiana and open
my own restaurant, Chef Marcelle, near Lafayette in Broussard. Miss Ella was a great cheerleader and we kept in touch. I often asked for her advice and encouragement, which she gave generously. When the oil business went bust in 1984, I closed the restaurant and went directly to see Miss Ella. What do I do now? New Orleans was busy with the World’s Fair and I was able to get some part-time work. But Miss Ella said, “We need to get you something better than that.” “Have you given any thought to writing a food column? You come from a newspaper family and you tell great stories.” Before I could answer, she said that Leon Soniat, a popular New Orleans cookbook author and contributor to The TimesPicayune had recently passed away; maybe I should try to take his place, she suggested. A few phone calls later, she advised me to W W W. R O U S E S . C O M 2 9
