Dickie Brennan, Preservation Hall, Saints Camp & New Orleans Dining Scene

In Episode 20 of The Mark Romig Show, we celebrate the food, music, sports, traditions, and people that make New Orleans unlike anywhere else.This week’s featured guest is Dickie Brennan, one of the most respected names in New Orleans hospitality. Dickie joins Mark to share stories from growing up in the Brennan restaurant family, working in the kitchen at Commander’s Palace, learning from culinary legends like Paul Prudhomme, and watching Commander’s evolve into one of America’s great dining institutions.Dickie reflects on the creation of Commander’s Palace Jazz Brunch, the difference between changing a restaurant and evolving it, the stories behind dishes like crabmeat cheesecake and trout pecan, the importance of Gulf seafood and local ingredients, life on the batture overlooking the Mississippi River, coastal restoration, oyster shell recycling, and why New Orleans continues to inspire everything he does.In the Official New Orleans Questionnaire, Dickie shares his ideal oyster po-boy, his love of Leidenheimer bread, his Saints Mount Rushmore, his favorite New Orleans song, his earliest memories of the French Quarter, and why he loves New Orleans in five unforgettable words: “Because it ain’t vanilla.”In 5 Minutes With, presented by New Orleans & Company, Mark welcomes Wendell Brunious and Caroline Brunious of Preservation Hall for a conversation about traditional jazz, mentorship, musical legacy, and the spirit of New Orleans music. Wendell and Caroline also deliver a special live performance, the first concert moment on The Mark Romig Show.On On The Table, sponsored by Blue Runner Foods, Ian McNulty joins Mark to discuss the New Orleans dining scene, North America’s 50 Best Restaurants, Restaurant Week, the city’s culinary diversity, neighborhood restaurants, and why New Orleans is not just a city with great restaurants, but a city with its own cuisine and food culture.On Move The Chains, Fox 8’s Madeline Adams joins Mark to talk Saints, Pelicans, LSU baseball, Tulane, high school sports, Alvin Kamara, Tyler Shough, and the stories shaping the local sports landscape.April Dupre returns with This Week in New Orleans, sharing where to eat, drink, and play around the city. And in Positively New Orleans, Mark reflects on the importance of the cruise industry, the Port of New Orleans, and the role tourism and hospitality continue to play in connecting New Orleans to the world.Segments in this episode include:Featured Guest: Dickie BrennanOfficial New Orleans Questionnaire with Dickie Brennan5 Minutes With: Wendell Brunious and Caroline Brunious of Preservation HallOn The Table: Ian McNultyMove The Chains: Madeline AdamsThis Week in New Orleans with April DuprePositively New Orleans: The Cruise Industry and the Port of New OrleansThe Mark Romig Show is a weekly vodcast and podcast celebrating the people, culture, food, music, sports, history, business, and civic life of New Orleans and the Gulf South.Special thanks to Blue Runner Foods, sponsor of On The Table, New Orleans & Company, presenting sponsor of 5 Minutes With, Visit The Northshore, and All The Waves.The Mark Romig Show is produced by LOVE NOLA TV, the official tourism and visitor information channel of New Orleans, seen in thousands of downtown hotel rooms and locally across all major digital platforms.🎧 Subscribe to The Mark Romig Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube 📺 Watch full episodes and clips on the LOVE NOLA TV YouTube channel 📍 Filmed in New Orleans, LouisianaNew episodes weekly. For the love of New Orleans.