Ella Brennan, a well-known, well respected New Orleans restaurant owner, nurtured celebrity
chefs, but didn’t believe it appropriate to worship them, “A restaurant is not a church, where you
have to be quiet and kneel,” she said. Brennan, whose family owned more than a dozen different
restaurants, died earlier this year. Thinking of her reminded us to share the story of two other
remarkable women in the food business: Romana Bañuelos and Ruth Fertel.
