Five years after historic Royal Street restaurant Brennan’s reopened in dramatic fashion with Slade Rushing leading its kitchen, the five-time James Beard award nominee departed this week to pursue other opportunities, according to a report from NOLA.com.
Rushing was recruited to introduce a new era of dining at the French Quarter landmark after a decline in popularity led to a foreclosure auction in 2013, where it was bought by Ralph Brennan and Terry White. Following tense familial legal battles around the restaurant’s name and a multi-million dollar renovation, Brennan’s reopened in November 2014.
Rushing left the restaurant he opened with James Beard award-winning chef and wife Allison Vines-Rushing, MiLa, for the gig, which they later closed after Vines-Rushing decided to go the private chef route. Before MiLa, Rushing honed his skills at Jardinière in San Francisco (alongside Donald Link), and Jack’s Luxury Oyster Bar in NYC. Rushing was nominated for a James Beard award every year he spent at Brennan’s.
Brennan told NOLA.com that Rushing left to pursue other opportunities without elaborating. Eater has reached out to Brennan’s for further information on chef plans and will update if we hear back.
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