Houston Culinary Icon Snags Commander's Palace Veteran as Executive Chef

Restaurant Slated to Open January 2010 

DANNY TRACE APPOINTED EXECUTIVE CHEF OF BRENNAN'S OF HOUSTON


 
Alex Brennan-Martin, co-owner of the venerable Brennan's of Houston (3300 Smith St.) announced
today that Danny Trace has been appointed as Executive Chef.
 
In September 2008, Brennan's of Houston caught fire during Hurricane Ike, which shuttered the
historic restaurant. After months of focusing on the rebuilding process and with a January 2010
opening in sight, Brennan-Martin recently turned his attention to identifying the next chef to
helm his restaurant's landmark kitchen.

Fortunately he did not have to look far. He chose Danny Trace, a ten-year veteran of the Commander's Palace Family of Restaurants. Chef Trace most recently served as executive chef of the group's newest outpost, Commander's Palace & On The Rocks Bar at HarborWalk Village in Destin, Florida.

An avid outdoorsman since early childhood, Trace cites his father and grandfather, who taught him hunting, fishing, crabbing and crawfishing, as two of the most influential figures in his culinary path. The thrill of turning the daily catch into a fresh, savory meal became his passion, landing him in the culinary arts program at Johnson & Wales University. After graduating from Johnson & Wales, Danny accepted his first position at Commander's Palace New Orleans and neither he nor the Brennan family ever looked back.

Danny honed his skills under late executive chef Jamie Shannon and his mentor, Ella Brennan, who dubbed Danny "the complete package." He quickly worked his way through all stations in the kitchen, winning the attention of the Brennan's and becoming an integral member of the venerable culinary team.

After losing everything in Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Louisiana native rebuilt his home and career, and earned the job as executive chef of Café Adelaide in November that same year. During his time at Café Adelaide, Trace was consistently noted for his innovative renditions of traditional Creole cuisine. Noting a harmonious balance between old and new in Trace's contemporary Creole menu, New Orleans food critic Tom Fitzmorris said in a May 2006 review, "I can't name many chefs who are doing a better job of that balancing act," and called Trace "one of the great ones of the coming decade."

In 2007 the Commander's Palace Family of Restaurants broke ground on its newest venture, Commander's Palace & On The Rocks Bar in Destin. When offered the executive chef position in 2008 Trace was unable to resist the thought of deep-sea-fishing several days a week, so he packed his knives and headed for the beach. He opened the Destin location to immediate rave reviews and was named "Best Chef" by Emerald Coast Magazine after only one year.

"I was so impressed with Danny's immediate success in Destin," says Alex Brennan-Martin.
"He is the chef you dream of - he cares about every dish and is so much fun to work with. We are both New Orleans boys and perennial outdoorsmen so he and I have the same culinary DNA."

"It was a tough decision to leave Destin," says Trace. "The beaches and waters are breathtaking,
and I would fish before work and walk up to the dock and buy shrimp right off of the boat. But this was an unbeatable next step. Houston has such an incredible food scene, and I'm looking forward to joining in, meeting farmers, chefs, fisherman, everyone. I've also learned something new every day about regional specialties here - Texas has great citrus, honey, cheese and fine birds like quail and chuckers. Alex insists Texas crabs are the best, but we haven't had that cook-off yet, and I wouldn't question his opinion on fresh seafood!"

Danny looks to balance his menu at Brennan's of Houston with modern Creole cooking and Brennan's ever-evolving Texas Creole cuisine, and plans to dig into his well of knowledge with the playful spirit- influenced cuisine he honed at Café Adelaide and the "Floribbean" style he created in Destin.

"Guests will still be able to enjoy their longtime favorites but will be able to try new things, too,"
says Trace. "I've been so fortunate to have rare opportunities come my way and I feel as though
it has all led up to this."

www.BrennansHouston.com

Source: Brennan's of Houston