Terrance Brenan: Conquering Culinary Scenes One Restaurant After Another

Terrance Brenan is a celebrated chef entrepreneur and the owner of highly-acclaimed restaurants, Picholine and Artisanal Fromagerie.

Born to Virginia restaurateurs, Terrance started cooking when he was 13 years old and has since then steadily rose to the highest ranks of America’s prominent and innovative chefs. Following eminent positions at numerous Washington D.C. hotels and restaurants, Terrance took a job in Le Cirque as a saucier. Under the supervision of legendary chef Alain Sailhac, he was able to work in a few of the greatest kitchens in Europe including Moulin de Mougi, Taillevent, Le Tour d’ Argent, Gualtiero Marchesi, La Gavroche and Les Crayeres. But it wasn’t until he met and worked with Chef Roger Verge that he began to form his signature culinary technique, which involved mastering Southern France’s “cuisine of the sun”. Deeply enamored by the tastes and flavors of Europe, the edified chef returned to New York with an aim to perfect his art.

Terrance polished his culinary skills as the head chef of Hotel Westbury’s Annabelle, and Prix & Fixe. After a few more years of experience, he finally opened his very own restaurant, Picholine, named after the little green olives that flourish in the Mediterranean coast. Needless to say, the restaurant opened to great reviews, garnering three to four stars in nearly all prestigious publications including The New York Times and New York Magazine. His well-refined palette, unparalleled skill of cooking up extraordinary dishes, keen eye for meal presentation and entrepreneurial spirit took him to the heights of restaurant industry, while his restaurants are ceaselessly lauded by epicureans and gastronomes from all over the world.

One of Terrance’s groundbreaking moves involved the introduction of the time-honored European cheese courses that raised the bar of American fine dining. In 2001, he opened his Artisanal, a bistro and wine bar that acquired immediate fame as a tribute to the delightful pleasures brought about by the finest cheeses in the world. The restaurant garnered numerous accolades including Zagat Survey’s Best Brasserie Cuisine in 2002.

Terrance went on to become a world-renowned chef and an enduring personality in numerous television shows and publications. The successful culinary guru shared his passion for cooking in his best-selling cookbook, Artisanal Cooking: A Chef Shares His Passion for Handcrafting Great Meals at Home.