Upon graduating from Louisiana State University with a BFA in Painting and Drawing, Brenda decided to pursue her real creative passion and began cooking in the kitchens of New Orleans. Within a few years, she found a natural fit at Mike?s on the Avenue creating fusion cuisine and was quickly promoted to Chef de Cuisine.
Chef Brenda grew up on the West bank of New Orleans, Louisiana in a little town called Harvey. As a girl she spent much of her time trapping crawfish in the canals behind her house, crabbing in nearby Lafitte, picking wild blackberries, gathering pecans and fishing on the local bayous and along the Gulf Coast on her family?s boat. Brenda was not only fortunate to have access to the rich abundance of local seafood and produce, but also the diverse styles of cuisine embodied by her Sicilian, French and Filipino ascendants, often enjoying the pleasures of a backyard crawfish boil one day, a big pot of gumbo the next, then feasting on pancit, lumpia and chicken adobo the next.
In 1980, Brenda moved to San Francisco and at the age of 30 landed her first Executive Chef position at the notable fusion pioneer Oritalia. While there, she garnered much positive attention. Three stars in the SF Examiner, three stars in SF Magazine, and a listing among the Top Five Bold Newcomers in the New York Times are among her many accolades. She has twice been invited to cook at the James Beard House in New York City.
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