Frank Brigsten, the chef who has run his eponymous restaurant, Brigsten’s, for 36 years, will be honored with the 2022 Ella Brennan Lifetime Achievement in Hospitality Award at a gala on June 7. The award will be presented during the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience, an event that celebrates all things food and drink in New Orleans.

Brightsen’s culinary career has spanned 50 years, beginning in 1973 while attending Louisiana State University. He started an apprenticeship in 1979 at Commander’s Palace under the guidance of Paul Prudhomme. Brightsen became the first night chef at Prudhomme’s restaurant, the now-shuttered K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, where he spent seven years and attained the position of executive chef.

When speaking with OffBeat Magazine about the Ella Brennan Lifetime Achievement in Hospitality Award, Brightsen said, “Commander’s Palace was my culinary school. As a young apprentice, I was given the opportunity to work every station in the kitchen. Under the tutelage of chef Paul Prudhomme and Ella Brennan, I also began to understand the most important lesson of all: Food is our medium, but it’s a people business. I am deeply grateful to be recognized with an award named for the Queen of New Orleans hospitality, Ella Brennan, who gave so many of us a chance to learn.”

Throughout his career, Brightsen has received multiple honors, including being named one of the Top Ten New Chefs in America by Food & Wine Magazine in 1988 and America’s Best Chef: Southeast by the James Beard Foundation Awards in 1998. He was also named Chef of the Year by New Orleans Magazine and Restaurateur of the Year by the Louisiana Restaurant Association/New Orleans Chapter.

In 2012, Brightsen received the Lafcadio Hearn Award from the John Folse Culinary Institute and was inducted into the Louisiana Restaurant Association’s Hall of Fame. In 2016, Brightsen received the inaugural Paul Prudhomme Award from the American Culinary Federation. Brigtsen’s Restaurant has been voted Top Cajun Restaurant, Top Service, and Top Wine List in the annual Zagat Survey. In 2001, Brigtsen’s received the distinguished Ivy Award from Restaurant & Institutions Magazine. In 2016, Brigtsen’s was named one of the Top Ten Restaurants in New Orleans by Brett Anderson, writing for The Times-Picayune.

Brigsten’s Restaurant is considered a New Orleans treasure and a must-visit if you’re looking for authentic Creole food. Menu highlights include a pan-roasted pork chop with Papa Tom’s stone ground grits and andouille sausage gravy; a crispy roast duck with cornbread dressing and tart dried cherry sauce; broiled Gulf fish with crab crust and lemon crab sauce with mushrooms, asparagus, and leeks; and a grilled beef filet with tasso marchand du vin sauce and fried shallots. Filé gumbo with chicken and andouille sausage and fried Des Allemands catfish, served with roasted jalapeño tartar sauce, garnished with tomato, red onion, and green onion, round out the menu.

During the pandemic, Brigsten’s shifted from dine-in to takeout to keep its staff and vendors employed. Dishes such as blackened tuna and soft-shell crab meunière were served in takeout containers from the converted cottage that houses the restaurant. Brigsten’s resumed regular service in March 2021.

In addition to his work at the restaurant, Brightsen has taught cooking classes at the New Orleans Cooking Experience for the past 15 years. He also teaches contemporary Creole and Acadian cuisine as an adjunct professor at the John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University and serves as the inaugural chef-in-residence for the Culinary Arts program at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA).

According to the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience, The Ella Brennan Award recognizes one individual each year that has made a lifetime commitment to the hospitality industry through extraordinary leadership, personal and professional accomplishments, and philanthropic contributions to the community. The Lifetime Achievement in Hospitality Award is named for restaurateur legend Ella Brennan, whose deep passion and commitment made a significant and longstanding impact on the New Orleans hospitality industry.

Past recipients of the award include Paul Prudhomme, Leah Chase, Drago and Klara Cvitanovich, Ralph Brennan, Emeril Lagasse, and John Folse.

Brigsten’s Restaurant, 723 Dante St., 504-861-7610. Hours: Closed Sunday and Monday. Takeout available from 10:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Reservations required: Tuesday through Saturday, 5:30 p.m. until 10 p.m.