Owen Brennan’s owner hands reins to his children
Owen Brennan’s, located at 6150 Poplar Ave. suite 150, is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sunday. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Owen Brennan’s starts a new chapter this year with the next generation taking the reins of the 35-year-old Creole and Cajun restaurant.
Longtime owner Jim Baker is passing control of the 440-seat restaurant to his three children: Austin Baker, Lawson Bae and Becky Baker Crucifixio.
“As a family, my siblings and I are thrilled to carry forward the incredible legacy of our restaurant,” said Crucifixio, who serves as the restaurant’s general manager. “For decades, we’ve spent countless nights inside brainstorming ideas and envisioning the future of this place. With our 35th anniversary upon us, we’re finally starting to see those dreams come true.”
The story of Owen Brennan’s begins in 1990.
Burt Wolf, the restaurant’s original general partner, approached Jim Baker, an investment banker, to raise funds from local investors to open Owen Brennan’s, Bae said. The name was licensed from Clark and Blake Brennan, grandsons of the original Owen Brennan, founder of Brennan’s on Royal Street in New Orleans.
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Jennifer Chandler
A cookbook author and former restaurateur, Jennifer Chandler has been writing about food and dining for more than 25 years. In her role as the food and restaurant writer for The Daily Memphian, she covers food news, provides readers an inside look into their favorite restaurants and offers suggestions for what to order at eateries across the Memphis area.
Chandler’s stories and recipes have been featured in national publications such as Real Simple, HGTV Magazine and Woman’s World. She’s also appeared on a number of national broadcast cooking segments including Food Network’s “Dinner: Impossible” and Ducks Unlimited TV. She also hosts a radio show “The Weekly Dish” on Memphis’s NPR station WKNO-FM.
She is the author of four cookbooks: “The Southern Pantry Cookbook,” “Simply Salads,” “Simply Suppers,” and “Simply Grilling.” While she boasts a degree from Le Cordon Bleu, this Memphis native is about making real food accessible for real families.
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