LP: Could you state your name first? CW: My name is Carl Walker. LP: So, where are you from? CW: Originally, I was born and raised a Missouri farm boy. So, I grew up in Howard County, Missouri. LP: So what did you grow up eating in Missouri? CW: Well, we grew it, hunted it, fished it, cured it, canned it, you name it. So, I grew up with really fresh, you know, homegrown local stuff, and you know we had huge gardens, and we also, we milked cows, made butter, had our own eggs, and my dad still to this day cures his own ham and sometimes bacon, shoulders, things like that. My grandfather was the person who did that before him. LP: So did you father primarily cook in your family or was it your mother? CW: Um, both of my parents loved to cook. My dad was pretty much in the construction business. My mother managed different companies and what have you, and worked in different places, but they both loved to cook, and my paternal grandparents lived a mile-and-a-half down the road, and my grandmother was a fantastic cook as well as...instructing my grandfather on how to churn butter (laughs). I learned it all. LP: So, what was your favorite dish that one of your parents made? CW: Oh, god, you know, it was...very simple. I mean my mom, the thing I looked forward to when I get home is pies. You know, she makes unbelievable pies, um, like fruit pies, but they will go out, like my dad raises, you know, he has like a big, you know, wild blackberries. He raises, you know, he has raspberries. Probably one of my favorite though that you don't see much down here is a gooseberry. It is a very tart and small berry that, um, they grow wild. They go and pick them. You have to use a lot of sugar, but, um, it's an incredible flavor, and I probably have eaten almost a whole, you know, nine or ten inch pie myself (laughs), just a little bit. LP: So, do you channel any of your parents cooking in what you do? CW: I have actually. Um, you know, like they've, um, you know, things over the years, you know, like, and you see a lot of it today, kind of maybe in moderate ways, but you know look at, like breads or cornbread, different, um you know, different things like that, things that you may use different beans from. You certainly see a lot of canned products out there now where chefs are all doing canning and things like that. You know, I have used things like that. One memorable event is when I did a Beard House dinner. My dad had actually taken a recipe that he got out of a cookbook, and kind of, it was one of those 'a scoop of this, a dash of that' and worked it down into a recipe for mincemeat pie. And I did a beef dinner at Beard House and used mincemeat pie, and you use actually a beef roast and suet, and all kinds of, you know, citron, which is something that you don't always see it around a lot of places, and, um, you know, things like that. And, um, I made a pot of navy beans on Monday with ham in it, not cured ham from my dad, but the best I could make (laughs) without that. TIMESTAMP 3:37 LP: Um, so is there any particular memory that comes to mind when you think of your favorite dish or your favorite food? CW: Oh (sighs), you know, I think spring time is a favorite time because you, you know, you have the gardens as a child, you have the gardens coming on. So, you've got, um, one of my favorite things, and I have done this over the years when I was a chef here and what have you. You take the fresh spring lettuce and what have you, coming on lettuce, radishes, and green onions, and you make a wilted...they take like the baking grease from that morning and add some vinegar and sugar and make like a warm bacon vinaigrette, and you pour it on and you wilt that down and make this wilted green salad. And, also about this time of year, and I have kind of been watching because sometimes I will fly home, but morel mushrooms grow wild up around where my parents are at, and um, so we will go out and pick morels and what have you, so you've got those, and typically maybe we will put a little corn, um, like corn flour or cornmeal into the flour and season them um and fry them and what have you. And, so things like that really strike me especially, um, I get a little worried that time of year because that is when the garden starts to get bigger, and bigger, and bigger, you know. It's like, like I said, that always made a lot work for me, but you know, it's good though. I love food like that. I always said my grandmother, my dad's mother would make an angel food cake, and when she would turn it out onto a big ole bottle or something, I would say like that cake would float up off that bottle it was so light, you know. So, I have a lot of great memories of stuff like that-food like that. You know, just, like I said, I mean, you know our milk cow calf was a calf that was going to be slaughtered that year for meat, you know...hogs and things like that was all raised and cured and what have you. LP: So, when did you discover your passion for cooking? TIMESTAMP 5:40 CW: Well, uh, I think, you know, when both of my parents, um, when my mother I say started working back outside the home again, um, I was 13, and um... You know, I grew up in a household, you know we had, we lived on a farm, but my parents worked outside. Um, and, you know they got home about five o'clock, and dinner was on the table besides, um at that age besides having kind of chores done, whether that was hay hauled out in the winter time or, you know, cow milk or whatever the case was, I also had dinner on the table, and I really got into it, and I got into, um, you know making my own ideas up. (5:40-6:20) And even though my grandparents lived a mile and a half down the road-my paternal grandparents, my other grandparents lived seven and a half miles away-but, it was a long distance phone call. Back then it was like thirty-five cents, so that's a lot of money. So, it was like, "Do I call Granny up to say 'how do I do this?' or 'how do I do that?'" because it was like, you just loved cooking and what you are doing. And I remember the first time I tried to make a fruit pie actually I had the pie dough was all over the place because I didn't quite have it all together how it was supposed to work, but it did! And then, I went into the Marine Corps as a cook and a baker, and I become a...and that lead to many other things. LP: Um, so, how did that come to be? You joining the Marines and... CW: Yeah, I came to a point... I was the youngest kid in my class, and it was like, you know, 'do you follow father's footsteps and get into building and things like that?' and I did a lot of that. I'm probably one of those guys I can do a lot of stuff around the house when it comes to construction building, and um, plumbing and electrical and things like that because I grew up in it. When I say grew up in it, my dad put both of the indoor plumbing, um, bathrooms into both of my grandparents houses, so that is how much I grew up into it. Um, but, you know, I decided that I really needed to, you know, at seventeen you're kind of like 'where do I go?' So, I said well I'll join the Marine Corps, that's a way to go. So I did! And, uh, fortunately when a recruiter came to my house, um, my parents said 'Well, what is he going to do, dah-dah-dah...?' You know it's like, you know a Marine's always a rifleman first, and all that...and um, you know it was right at post-Vietnam time and what have you, and um, so they were starting all of these classes off for soldiers, and what have you-one of them being cooking and baking, so I said 'sure, sign me up!' So, I went in and went to school for cooking and baking, and um, did that. I was um, a three year enlistment extended for another year because I was in a cool place called Hawaii...Pearl Harbor. So, and I did a lot of outside studies when I was stationed there, and which lead to going to school from there. TIMESTAMP 8:36 LP: Um, so, you went to the Culinary Institute of America after that, right? CW: I did, yeah. I had, yeah, when I said I was in Hawaii, I knew I had heard about the Culinary Institute of America, and I always, for some reason, it was in my head that it was in Chicago. Um, so I started researching, and of course we didn't have the internet back then-research actually meant going to the library and getting a book off of the shelf (laughs), and um you know real end of Google. And so, I, um, I did, I went and when I got out of the service, I flew back home for a while and I started going, driving up to the library and I know, you know, found Johnson and Wales, and um, you know all of these different schools around-you know, Cornell being one of them and what have you. But, when Culinary Institute of America came in, and I filled out everything, and like I said I had been in school in the Marine Corps plus I had taken, um, a lot of civilian courses while being stationed in Pearl Harbor for two years. And, I knew that was it! That was my calling right there and I did it. LP: Um, so, what brought you to New Orleans and to Commander's Palace...that was the first... CW: What brought me, truly, was a Frenchman. I had, um, when I was, you know, was graduating, I had went out for a stint in Yellowstone and did opening, kind of opening chef duties, cook duties out there-great job, but I was like, you know, I paid way too much money going to school to kind of put it into more of that style cooking where you know you're opening a package. And, um, so I took a job at the Woodlands, actually, at Glass Menagerie. They were doing kind of a Four Seasons style menu at the time, and there was a French guy there named Jean Shea, and he had, uh, opened this restaurant, then had a falling out with the partner, and took the job at Mr. B's as the executive chef, so he needed a sous chef to go with him. So, you know, I said 'Yeah, let's do it,' and I had interviewed with Alex, uh, here prior to, uh, kind of first interview about getting that job and what have you, and I followed him over there. And, uh, he really didn't care that much and he moved on, and I, um... Ella Brennan had um...I just, you know, I loved having somebody that was just, you know, teaching me and challenging me every day, and uh, you know that's what kept me going with Brennan's, cause you... I've always lived my life that you can always be better. Probably the one thing that people would say to me was, 'that's the best I can do,' and one thing I would say was, 'don't say that to me, you know, you can always be better.' (10:57-11:18) LP: So, um, what was your first meeting like with Ella Brennan? TIMESTAMP 11:23 CW: Well, let's see, shall I get right in your face and say (laughs), 'this is what I expect!' It was great. She was truly right up in my face, and I was, um you know, I will never forget that interview. Actually, I flew over early that morning, and uh, you know, I had a three piece suit on and stuff, and low and behold, who would know I would be wearing, uh, you know a pair of chef pants and a jacket cooking something for her later that afternoon. And I will never forget-I had brand new shoes on and this one cook that was there at Mr. B's actually, at that time that is where I started at, and he goes 'man, those are some fine shoes to be in the kitchen,' and I was like, I was like (laughs), 'yeah, I know, I didn't realize...' But, it was great, and I uh, I did something, I was really inspired, and I knew that she was, I mean, you know, she was, I just felt it, it was a calling, something that... I liked challenge, I wanted challenge, and you know, and I believe that you can always be better, and be your best, and that is the Brennan family. (12:26-12:36) LP: So what did she have you cook? CW: Actually, I did a French, uh, dish, it was, uh, kind of a-I had to make a hollandaise, and I did this kind of a gratin on top of lightly cooked fish, and what have you, and seasoned it up. And I think it maybe, uh, threw her a little bit because it was very classic French, but that was kind of my calling at the time, a very classic French. The interesting thing about French and Creole is there is a lot of influence, but a lot of names are changed over the centuries, you might say, and um, sometimes, you know when it gets real classic, you know, it's hard for someone like Chef Jean to understand that, and to, you know, a guy coming out of France to come into New Orleans and, you know, it's almost like changing your language in some respects, and in fact it is, um, to what you know. It was, it was different. I did it, and I um, I learned a lot about, you know, it was learning about Creole cooking and what have you, and that was a lot of fun. It's just like digging down and learning the heart and soul of it, and I had some great teachers. LP: So what was your first impression of Creole and New Orleans cuisine? CW: Well, a lot of it, um, a lot like I kind of grew up with. You know, there's a lot of, um, you know, when you're using things like Tasso or um, different, um, different ingredients and what have you. And, there's a lot of stuff, like I said, that is kind of common to me, you know, good Southern style food, um, you know, even though I was kind of a Midwest, you know, farm boy, but that was what we did, we did a lot of that kind of food-if it was red beans, we were using navy beans, um, pinto beans, other things like that-but it had a lot of similarities to it, so it wasn't such a big change for me, I don't think, as maybe learning some of the spices and things like that was, and also adjusting my mind from what I had gotten myself into kind of a classic French stage to kind of a more Creole French stage. LP: So, working in New Orleans, did that change your taste as a chef? CW: Uh, you know, it changed it. Uh, Ella has always, you know, when you brought her a dish, and um, there was a young man who I worked with that uses a term that um, I think was developed from that, from Ella, and Ella would, you know, hammer this guy-you may have heard of him-you know, his name was Emeril...his name is Emeril, but uh, he's, uh you don't see him much anymore (laughter), but Ella was always like "POW!" You know, we would always bring a dish to her, you know, and she was like, you know, I never forget this one time I, you know, ran up the steps to her office and I did this tuile shell, and I had this pumpkin ice cream in it and I had put a dollop cream with nutmeg and everything on it, and it looked really, you know it was a really good looking dish, you know for a dessert dish-it was Thanksgiving time, I wanted it to look pretty. And, um, she took a spoon for it, and she was like "Is this supposed to be pumpkin?" and I was like (whispers), "Oh, god..." You know, it's like, so for her, really, if you said it was pumpkin, or you said peach...I know when I first started doing like a Creole oyster dressing, and you know, I put some oysters in it, but um, you know, I've quickly learned that you know, oysters meant that it was primarily oysters, and you see so much of it is like a lot of bread, what have you, and then there is some oyster garnish in it maybe in a lot of dressings like that. With Ella, when I said 'oyster dressing,' you had oysters, kind of like when you see, when you read the ingredients, it is always the most is first, that's her! If you're going to say oyster, it better have oysters. Like, you know, I probably put about four or five times more, and season it up and made it have some 'pow' to it, and it rocked, you know, it's good, and you know... If there's one thing I would say really um, that I really pulled away from her was that, and again, you know it's that quest to not be afraid, you know. I mean, if there was one thing she really kicked me on, it was just do it. (17:10) Anyhow...she still kicks me on it occasionally. LP: Um, so how did the move...cause then you went to Commander's Palace after Mr. B's, correct? TIMESTAMP 17:24 CW: I went to, after B's, I went to Commander's Palace. I went from, uh, you know I came there with Jean Shea, and then when I moved to Commander's Palace, and there was a German chef there named Gerhardt Brill, and um, so I moved up there, transferred up there-it was kind of like a swap between myself and another sous chef who went from Commander's to B's. And uh, it was great. It was, uh, Commander's Palace, and I, uh, came in as a sous chef, and first thing is to learn all the stations and work your way through. And, that same year I came onboard, Gerhardt was going to open his own restaurant, and that is when they brought in that young man named Emeril Lagasse in the story, and I became his right hand, and um, you know, we, you know, as Emeril would say, kind of 'kicked it up a notch,' or two. You know, one of the things with him...um, Emeril gave me a book when I first started working with him called Thinking Big, and I give him tremendous credit because the man thinks big. And, um, you know, that was his thing-here is this book, think big. And um, he does. Um, you know, you can see what his successes are, I mean, he is never, never...um, he has taken that book and rewritten it several times over. Um, so with us it's like, you know, taking things that maybe had not been quite as good as they could have been, you know, and reaching out and not only just going from, you know, from what we were, from a fresher product and a better product, but then we got into what New Orleans really referred to as a more 'cottage industry,' um, you know products coming in. That's where we went up, you know Mississippi is not far away, and we, myself, and like Paul Prudhomme, and John Harris (19:15), we would go down and start talking to farmers about raising these products. And, uh, that started a whole new, um, you know, just you know a whole new level of where we are at today when you look at everything that is being raised, which was a big love of mine because I grew up in that world. I grew up with everything. We had, you know, a big cellar and certain things went into the cellar. My mother canned a hundred quarts of beans, a hundred quarts of tomatoes, juice, and soups, and on and on. We would bury parsnips out in the edge of the garden, in, um, burlap bags and straw and stuff because that's where they stored for the winter. And you would go out and dig up the bag and pull out what you need and cover it back up, you know. So, you know, it was great, you know, you know Emeril, and that in Commander's, it was really, you know, looking for the freshest fish, and looking for the, you know, having those guys actually show up at your door bringing you this stuff that maybe, you know, stuff that they were really proud of, that they were excited about. If you got something like that, then it makes all the difference of carrying that feeling on to the people that get to enjoy it. LP: So, how did the move from Commander's Palace...how did you move from Commander's Palace to here? TIMESTAMP 20:31 CW: Well, um, I had uh, I was starting to question where I was at in my life, and I had some opportunities to...I don't know if I should say this on cam... Actually, I had some opportunities to move to San Francisco. Um, my in-laws had a house there, and what have you, and I was really...it was you know 'move in,' and everything was there so it wasn't any cost to me. And, um, you know, about that same time, Ella and Emeril said to me one day, "Hey, we want you to be the chef at Brennan's." And, I'm like, 'I came from Houston...' at this point, I had two little boys that were born in New Orleans, so I was like, 'ok, what do I do? What do I do?' and I love the Brennan family, and um, working with everybody, you know, working with Ella and Dick and Alex and Dick Jr., and Ralph and everybody-they are all so passionate about what they do, so it was hard to leave that passion behind (21:35). I also had worked with the chef that was here and cared a lot for him. I made an attempt to try to help him, but Ella was like, 'You're going!' and I said "Yes, ma'am," so I did. LP: So, how many years were you executive chef here? CW: About sixteen and a half, just a short time (laughter). It went fast, so...you know, and I think out of that, I think my love of seeing other people come up is probably one of my greatest things...in uh, I guess, my legacy. LP: So, moving on to specifically Brennan's of Houston, what is your personal definition of Texas Creole? TIMESTAMP 22:20 CW: Well, it's, uh, I kind of...you know, Texas Creole, uh...where obviously Texas is a big state...got a lot of people, uh, thinking...they realize that the agriculture production of, you know, of this state and what have you, and all of the influences of this state and... So, it was being able to, you know, take that, you know again take that local ingredients that, you know, I was raised with, also we did a lot in New Orleans, and bring it here. So, one of my first things when I got here, we had a quail farm in New Orleans, and I wasn't satisfied with buying some, you know, 'fresh...fresh-frozen' product...whatever you want to call it, from someone that really didn't know, and also someone that didn't really have that smile about them, you know, this is what I love. So, I found a guy that raised quail close to Houston, um... And this man, he smiled, and he loved them...I want to say he almost had them named. Everybody that I ever took out there to meet the guy were just like, 'oh he even looks like the quail.' And, he was a wonderful man-he was just, he just loved his quail, his pheasants, his trucker, and so it was really... Then I started going down to Alvin, there was a guy that raised tomatoes down there. There was a guy, Mr. Peevey, that raised, you know, black eyed peas, and yellow tomatoes, and peppers and things down in Eagle Lake. And, Alex and I would go hunting down in Eagle Lake, and so it became kind of an excuse to go see Mr. Peevey. And then, finding for a bird farm, we knew some people who were starting a farm back in the, um, the time when people didn't have anything to eat, and they started a farm to help feed people, so something I would never take away, you know, just when people ask me, look at the reason why they started that farm, and how...and their successes in it. So, that was really important. And, because I'm nine hundred miles away from my mother, and I sent her one recently-actually, the guys did-sent my mother a buttermilk pecan pie from Froberg Farm because my mom loves, my dad loves pie, but I go down there if I need a little taste of home at times. But, you know, Brennan's Texas Creole is a hard...I kind of call it 'Bayou City Creole.' You know, it's like you've got...Bayou City's here. Um, so, I kind of think between Texas and Louisiana, you know, you've got Creole. To me, Creole is really about New Orleans. Cajun is more about Louisiana and the country cooking there, and the influences of the Cajuns. It's spiced a little different. Um, Creole is really a 'multi-pot' of cuisine. Um, you know, where Cajun is a little bit different, a little bit different, it still has a lot of the influences, but you just take them and mold them together and it's fantastic. There is so much you can do with it. You know, you've got the Southwest, you've got the Creole, you can just...you know... We're chefs, you know, it's like, it's like having a... you've got a palate, and you've got all of these things to bring it together and to create. And for something that I miss, and if you look at my desk right now, there's uh, ideas that I have written out where I'm always reading food articles and stuff like that, and I start, and my brain starts going round and round, and I go 'oh yeah, how about that idea, how about this idea?' So, I love doing that stuff, and I love seeing that smile like you have when people enjoy it. LP: So, after Hurricane Katrina, I know y'all took in some employees from Commander's Palace, correct? TIMESTAMP 25:58 CW: We did. We took in some, you know, some folks from there that, and uh, you know to make an opportunity... You know, Houston really reached out I think, as a city, and took in a lot of people, some of them still having their influences in Houston, um, you know... The other thing is, a lot of people, um, the thing about the cuisine when we are talking about Texas Creole, you know a lot of staff that you may not even realize at times, but a lot of staff is actually from Louisiana, or from New Orleans, and what have you...pre-Katrina. So, we've got guys here like Eric and Thomas, and people like Bran. Mama Florence was with us. You know, people that are already from that area of the world to begin with. So, it was like family, we are family, and it was like so you are taking in your family, to bring them back, to give them shelter, to give them a home, and in some cases, a place to restart their life at, you know, maybe they don't want to go back to New Orleans or whatever... But, you know, some did, and um, you know, some of them created new opportunities here, and it was good. You know, through bad things can happen a lot of good...so, it's just how you turn it...(26:20-27:14) LP: Did that fresh influx of New Orleanians affect the menu at all? Did they bring anything with them? CW: Well, I think they realized that, you know, New Orleans gets a lot of credit for how good their food is, but I think that, uh, they got over here, and probably a reason that a lot didn't leave was that, uh, Houston was the Bayou City, is the Bayou City, and our food was, you know, better than theirs for the most part. You know, Texas...we don't have anything to hold our heads down about when it comes to what we do, and uh, you know, I'm always, uh, if I get mad it's when I see articles that, you know, we're the fourth largest city in the U.S., and we don't get our due, and I think we're starting to see more of that now, but we've earned it. It's here. There are all kinds of influences in this city-(27:21-28:05) there's uh, you know, you can go all over and see it, whether it be what people think about Texas a lot of times is Southwest, but you know, we have the Greek, we have the... Especially like, you look at what a lot of guys are doing, like specialty Asian, Vietnamese, or Thai, and uh, different influences like that-whether it be Indian influences, or uh, Indonesia. Things like that come into play. You know, different parts of the US comes in. So, you know, we've got, we've got it all right here, so it's, you know, it's a big city with a lot of, a lot of great restaurants. And, it's just, you know, there's no shortage of eating what you want. TIMESTAMP 28:57 LP: Um, so I know you mentioned this briefly earlier, but how did you go from the role of executive chef to general manager? CW: The, um, well...I had, um, part of the way I have worked my career and my life is, and I think it probably started growing up as a child, is that in order to get that other fifty-cents a day, or whatever it was to be able to have more, earn more, get more respected, was to take it on. And, I think if there is a statement I would use and taught over and over is, "I got it." So, when I came here, you know, it wasn't just about being a chef and creating the menu and creating new dishes and training people, but um, it was also giving that, uh, influencing the, you know, young folks sort of coming up behind me to kind of, you know, to feel the same way, where 'they got it, they got it,' and it's a great feeling when they say "hey chef, you know, you go ahead and do this. We got it, we got it." And whether it be, you know, Mark Holly, Randy Evans, Chris Shepherd, you know, Sarah Grueneberg, whoever it was is that they got it, you know. And, so, there are other things, you know, one of the things that I will preach forever, is like, when you are in a business like this, chefs...it's ok to be creative, if you're going to be completely successful, you also have to be a business person as well, and you need to know where your costs are at. You need to know about food costs, and menu engineering, and cost of what it takes to keep this dining room where it's at and what have you. And, so those are things that I continue just to, when these guys were pushing me aside and saying "hey, I've got it," when I could push maybe Alex aside and say "hey, I've got it." Um, you know, and I did. It's like one of the things, you got it. And, you know, that's one of the things I inspire, that I love to do, and I love to see others do that when they say, "hey, you know, um, you know..." And, I really want them to, you know, some people just say you can give it to them or whatever, and I want them to want it, you know. I want to give them reason to want it. I want to give them a reason to say "hey, let me take that, you know, let me take that." Because, I know if they do, and the chances of them taking it from where I took it, to a much greater level is...and it's going to be a lot more successful. And it's just...and you know, I think that has proven itself over and over. LP: Um, so what is a typical day at work like for you? CW: A typical day at...here? LP: Here. TIMESTAMP 31:45 CW: Well, uh, (laughs) it depends on if I have had my coffee yet or not. I mean, the start of a morning, obviously whether I have had my coffee...is a morning of 'hellos.' There is a lady I mentioned, you know, Mama Florence is like, you know, if you walk through the kitchen door or any door, and you didn't say good morning, you would get, uh, you know, whacked because she was like, you know, I don't care if it'd be a new employee. But you know, good mornings, seeing what is going on, um, seeing where the staff is at, who is here and who is not, whose got-you know, it's a big staff. We're growing, you know, a hundred and fifty six people here at one point. It's a lot of families, you know. This place takes care of a lot of people. So, when you get that many, just a small percentage, you know, you've got to see where everybody is at, what everyone is inspired to do, what their goals are, where they are headed. You know, for me, it's checking who is coming in. Uh, a lot of these, um, people that come here are, um, you know, when we talk about friends, it's kind of like friends and family. Many of them I have been out with, hunted with, what have you, fishing, this that and the other, you know, watched their kids grow up... So, it's seeing who is coming in, uh, you know, to have lunch or dinner, or what have you, with us, what the occasions are. You roll with that. Um, today I was barking at, uh, one of the chefs about, you know, one gentleman that comes in...he will have been here, what five times this week? Five lunches in a row? So, you know, it's like 'hey he's coming in-do this, do that, what have you,' what he likes to eat, and things like that. So, it's working through the day like that. Then, you know, like while ago, I was on a roll, like (makes sounds of quickly moving through tasks...chh chh chh)...trying to like, ok where are we going to go-how are we going to make Mother's Day better, you know, than Easter? How are we going to make Father's Day, better yet, better than that? You know, it's that-where we can see we start growing and just keep it inspiring and going on, and it's relieving. You know, to me, it's like being that person who is out there to lead. You know, and help leading by example... TIMESTAMP 34:10 LP: Um, so how has Brennan's changed since...from when you started here until now? CW: Well, it's just, uh, it's an ok restaurant, but obviously when I came on board it became a lot better restaurant (laughter). You know, it's funny you say that, but like people, when I was at Commander's Palace with, you know, Ella and Dick and all them, I was like, you know, it was all about Commander's Palace. And, uh, when I came over here, I was still pretty much 'Commander-ized.' You know, I was like, 'Commander's, Commander's, Commander's." And I was like, wait a minute, 'no, no, no, no,' it's about Brennan's here, and we are Houston Brennan's and what have you. So, you know, I loved that competition, that competitiveness, you know, so I'm like always... I take tremendous pride in this restaurant, in this city, and I don't hold my head down to any of them (34:56), although, you know, in direct or indirect ways trying to challenge them as well-when I say them being New Orleans-you know, to, you know, to step it up, you know, to what we do, about our bottom line, about how we are doing, you know, ideas, thoughts you know, and things like that. So, we're just rolling all the time. You know, it's like...and I love that, you know, participating in part of it, and it keeps it exciting everyday...some days a little too exciting (laughter). LP: (to Dr. Romero, sitting in the room) Am I going over? TR: No, you're fine. LP: Ok. I'll keep going then. Um, so is it OK if we talk about Hurricane Ike a little bit? TIMESTAMP 35:45 CW: Hurricane Ike. Oh man, it's like, um, uh... You know, we had a lot of close calls, you might say, where you think it's going to happen, like Katrina, and everybody in the Gulf of Mexico was worried. Um, and it didn't, you know...and even with New Orleans, you know. I don't even think I questioned Katrina until the levees broke, and then I think it basically sunk New Orleans, because we know a lot of the force was in Mississippi, and what have you. But, um, you know, and even with the, you know, like Rita came along, and uh, then we have Ike coming, and you know, and I was kind of like, 'Oh, ok,' you know it's not a big deal, but we need to be safe and things like that. You know, you just never know. It's that one thing. I mean, I was sitting in that bar, um, you know, drinking a glass of wine, we were protected by this patio here (36:50) (indecipherable)... And you know, a tree had blown over at that point and had some of these moss balls that get in your oak trees, and what have you, and we had kind of a infestation of those things, and I thought, "Well, this is a good way to get rid of them," because they were all ending up on the patio, and I had to go outside and kick out into the patio gate. You know, I mean, you just never realized it until you smelled smoke. And, I guess, where there's smoke, there's fire. And, um, you know, and this room, this very room is kind of the decision maker in my life, you know. It's like there was a, you know, we had that family here and what have you. So at a point, I remember, not too far from where we are, saying 'Carl, it's time to get the hell out of here,' and I took off, you know, and we got out, you know. And the place was, you know, on...seriously on fire. We had people hurt...I was slightly myself. Um, but, you know, you can, uh, rebuild a place, and we did and a fantastic job. You know, I keep somewhat in touch with the family that was so hurt, and it's a lot of rebuilding there and life, um, to that part. You know, that's the tough part. That's the part that kind of hurts your heart the most is getting through that, but the place, as far as Brennan's itself, it, uh, you know, it provided, you know, uh, kind of new and fresh opportunity for everyone. We have more employees now than we ever did before-it's kind of like New Orleans has more restaurants than it did, uh, before Katrina. And, so, you look at how many more opportunities are provided for people, so it's being able to...the mentality, being able to turn it into a good thing, and I think that we have successfully done that. And I think New Orleans has as well. But, you know, well, I just as soon not have too many of those (indecipherable) 39:00...pass on hurricanes. LP: Well, moving on to the renovation, um, was there anything you were specifically excited about with the renovation? CW: Oh, let's see...besides new waterlines? No, it's like, you know... This building had been around since '25, uh. There were some things like our bar that we had always talked about-I wish we had a bigger bar, I wish we had, uh, you know, the restrooms used to be right behind me, actually, off it for the second floor, one of the most inconvenient places of all for our guests, especially with all the number of dining rooms we have on this floor. So, it gave opportunity to really move this restaurant physically around, the spaces around, to fit, to best fit our operation, and I think we did a great job at that. The way we have the dining rooms laid out, like our ballroom for instance, used to divide into two, and so, it uh, if a party went up too much in size, you had to give up the whole ballroom. Now it divides into three, and you can just, you know, make somebody a little bit more comfortable by chinking it from fifty to seventy, but we still have another forty on the other side. Before, if you got to that point, you had too much space used for too few of people, and now we can conveniently change that to fit. And, we can do that with Little Room and the Solarium, and we can do that with kind of what we say in our back house world is ABC and Wine Room. You know, we've got Garden Room, um, Bay Room, Bay Room, Little Room, Coast Room (40:37), and then Wine Room. But, it's the use of that space, and not only is it good for us, but it is so much better for everyone who wants to plan a party here. And, uh, that, you know, those things like how many bathrooms centrally located has made it better for... If I had a party here and I had no place for a bride to kind of hide out until the wedding, until they went down on that patio and got married. Now, they are conveniently located. You can walk down that, um, walkway there on the second floor and down the staircase and out onto the patio, and you know, and into their new life. So, it's just...it just does better. Executive chef will tell you-Chef Danny would say 'I wish the kitchen would have needed a little more work,' because, you know, first floor wasn't really bothered by Ike. It was the second floor, actually the roof, that changed everything, but the kitchen side had nothing for the most part other than smoke and water...and we see that every day (laughter). LP: Um, so, what inspired you to write Brennan's in Your Kitchen, the cookbook? TIMESTAMP: 41:45 CW: Oh, how deep should I go is the question here... Um...(long pause) Ahhh, I think I'll go deep, uh, without trying to sound, as Alex says 'I'm a Walker, but I'm a talker.' I had an event in my life that, um, that took me down, and there is something out there in the medical world known as anxiety and depression, and I had a bout with it, that uh, I didn't understand prior to. I have tremendous respect and understanding for it today. And uh, you know, uh, other people that did kind of came to my aid, and that was a fantastic thing, and guided me to a great doctor, and I not only pulled up and out of it, but I also looked for new things to keep, uh, to move my life forward. And, uh, one of the things we had always kind of talked about and wanted to do was do a book, and kind of talk about Brennan's and what have you. (42:07-43:00) And, so, uh, I took that on as something just to do, and part of the success of that book, I think, was the fantastic team that I put together with it, and people, again, who smiled about what they did and what their, you know-one lady had been a food editor that we had on our side, and was kind of syndicated for microwave, what used to be Radar Ranges when she first started, retired from the Chronicle...used her as a final edit. Um, had several people (43:49 indecipherable)...and those chefs were cooking with ladies who tested all of the recipes and used their own whips, and spoons, mixers, bowls, pots, and pans, and what have you. Made it feel like home, and really cooking from home. And, it's being able to take that, and also give some of my, you know, some of myself. And, it's like, you know, there's a picture of my, uh, grandmother and grandpa, and her CB handle was 'Country Butter,' because she kind of sold butter all over the neighborhood there. She, you know, churned butter and listened to the, uh, not the Astros, but the St. Louis Cardinals-we got to think where I grew up. But, you know, it was that world. So, I just, you know, I wanted to do something, and I wanted to do that book. And, uh, that book...a guy that, uh, is a friend, uh, said this book will be a great calling card, uh, not necessarily something to make a lot of money on, but it's the opportunity that came from that. But, uh, this guy was incredibly accurate in that because from that book came a radio show. So, the radio show, who would have thought? It's like, you know I went on the radio and did that show, 'Cook It Up with Chef Carl' Sundays from noon to one KSEV, and I did that radio show from the Culinary Institute of America. Um, I did it from...I took a cell phone with me when I was halibut fishing with a bunch of guys from Shell, uh, I went up on Queen Charlotte's fishing with, and right when I hooked my Halibut, I get my connection with the studio, so I gave it to my guide, I gave my phone to my guide-I didn't give him my fish, obviously, my pole-I said, I was going to catch my fish. And, he was like, 'what do I say?' You know, so you know all of those things came about, so it was a good opportunity to travel, to go places and cook, and I did that, you know, (indecipherable 45:44)...out in, you know, Napa. So, it's a...and then that lead to Randy Evans, who would follow me to write the next chapter, basically, the next book, but a little more technical, so if you wanted to step up your game, that was a book to use. You know, would I like to do another one? I think one of the big things was when I was in D.C. with the National Restaurant Association, I took my two sons up there with me for one of those conferences, and it was in the Library of Congress you just feel that, you know, that you've done something that is here. And, that's a neat thing to, is being an author. You know, I would love to write again. It's a great feeling. I think writing is special. LP: Um, just a couple more then I'm going to let you go. So, what's your definition of lagniappe? TIMESTAMP 46:42 CW: Well, uh, lagniappe-little bit of, you know, a little bit of love when you see someone doing a little something extra too. It's like, you know, it's like, it's that, whether, a lot of times it's in the beginning, but with it can be, you know, with us it's kind of on the end as well because we, you know, we give pralines out at the front door. It's like, you know, those are...I've seen people that have pulled into our drive here, and run inside, and say "I'm just grabbing a praline. I got to drive to Sugar Land, on my way home." So, you know, you're like...even sometimes when they're not even here, there's that little bit of extra thought that you're providing for them which is not because they just had a dinner here, but it's somebody like that-they know it's a little something extra, kind of like...(46:42-47:32) You know, when I was growing up again, you know, it's like you stop by, uh, before I would go home to do chores was this, uh, friends, the Jacksons, and their grandmother lived with them. She made these...she made bread every day, every day! These great rolls and stuff, you know, and I would like stop by Grandma Jackson and grab a couple of rolls, you know, it's like that little bit of love and extra before you go home. You know, it's about that, you know. It was kind of beginning my meal, but actually ending another part, so, but it was just a special feeling and memory, you know. LP: Um, so, I know you just said it, but could you please pronounce this word (holds up a sign that says P-R-A-L-I-N-E)? CW: Well, I'll not only pronounce it, but I'll tell you about 'praline.' It's a... When I moved from Houston, the Woodlands to New Orleans, I was on, down on Jackson Square, and we went into this ice cream store-little shop there-and I'll never forget this. I said to the guy, "I'll have some of that praline (pray-leen) ice cream," and the guy looked at me and he goes, "well, you're not from here, are you?" and I go, "I am now. I just moved to New Orleans." And, he goes, "Well, if you're going to be here, then you'll have to say praline (prah-leen)," so, I never forgot that.(48:19-48:49) And, I have done some research on it, and uh, I have a lot of baking in my background also, and praline (pray-leen) powder, praline I would think of more as something that we use in baking, maybe in cakes or torts or something like that. But, praline (prah-leen) means like this candy that, you know, that we say here, not here in New Orleans, but especially associated with this restaurant, Brennan's...but, you know, we got pralines (prah-leens), and you know, we... Probably the biggest fight here, and I give up with a lot of people that come here whether it's "prah-leen," "pray-leen," or whatever, is probably how we got the squirrel named, you know, so is his name "Pray-leen," or is his name "Prah-leen?" Because he loves them too. I think there is a lot of "Prah-leens" and "Pray-leens," so we can probably name em...every squirrel around knows to come as well as everybody else (laughter). LP: Wonderful. Ok, well thank you so much! CW: You're welcome! Take care. LP: I really enjoyed that! CW: My pleasure. All right. LP: Thank you! CW: Good. (laughter) TIMESTAMP: 50:02
