Napa Meets NOLA: A Reunion Dinner hosted by Dickie Brennan with Susan Spicer
- When
- November 12, 2025
- Where
-
The Josephine on Napoleon
2400 Napoleon Avenue
New Orleans, LA - Tickets/Info
- Get Tickets
Guests will among the first to dine at The Josephine, as this will be the first public event at the venue. Located on oak-lined Napoleon Avenue in New Orleans, The Josephine is a newly-renovated iconic 90-year-old church with a captivating domed ceiling and a beautiful courtyard – all in the former Our Lady of Lourdes church which had been shuttered since Hurricane Katrina.
On this special night, Chefs Dickie Brennan and Susan Spicer reunite to recreate and reimagine a legendary 1993 Napa dinner they co-hosted with fellow New Orleans Chef Frank Brigsten — this time in honor of the Jacques Pépin Foundation.
The evening starts with a cocktail hour highlighting Gulf Oysters and Louisiana caviar and cocktails crafted by James-Beard award winning bar CURE.
Chef Michel Nischan, dear friend of Jacques and Dickie, will join the festivities as a guest chef for this very special NOLA celebration.
Highlights
Menu
- 1st Course: Louisiana Popcorn Rice Risotto with Jumbo Lump Blue Crab and Italian White Truffles
- 2nd Course: Sweetbreads and Louisiana Crawfish Tails
- 3rd Course: Pekin Duck and Foie Gras with Sweet Potatoes, Braised Greens, and Cornbread
- 4th Course: Bleu Cheese and Creole Cream Cheesecake
Details
- Thanks to the generosity of the participating event host, a portion of the evening's proceeds will be donated to the Jacques Pépin Foundation to support our mission of expanding access to culinary education. We deeply appreciate your generous support.
- Jacques Pépin proudly supports our 90/90 Celebrations. While he can't be present at all of them, we invite you to check our website for details on the events where he will joining in celebration.
- For more information, contact rossl@dbcno.com
Event Host
Dickie Brennan
Restaurateur and owner of Dickie Brennan & Company
A third-generation New Orleans restaurateur of the famed Brennan family, Chef Dickie Brennan grew up just two blocks from Commander’s Palace. In the 1970s under the tutelage of Chef Paul Prudhomme, Dickie worked with Commander’s Palace as they led the American Regional Cuisine movement by introducing the world to Cajun and Creole cooking.
After graduating college, Dickie joined Larry Forgione’s An American Place in New York City. He later moved to France, where he worked and studied in six different kitchens to gain exposure and broaden his knowledge as a chef. In 1991, Dickie helped open Palace Café and later became Executive Chef, then Owner.
With his sister, Lauren Brower, and business partner, Steve Pettus, Dickie went on to open Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse, Bourbon House, Tableau, Acorn Café, The Commissary Market + Kitchen, Pascal’s Manale, Audubon Clubhouse, and Dickie Brennan’s Catering & Events.
As an ambassador for New Orleans and its unique culture, Dickie remains active in the community and hospitality industry. He is an avid supporter of local farmers and fisherman and has taken an active role in trying to preserve heirloom varieties of Louisiana produce.
Guest Chefs
Michel Nischan
James Beard Award-winning chef and Humanitarian of the Year, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Wholesome Wave
Michel Nischan is a four-time James Beard Award-winning chef and a nationally recognized leader in food systems and policy. As Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Wholesome Wave, he helped secure $250M in federal funding to make fresh produce affordable for low-income Americans, establishing the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program as a permanent part of the Farm Bill.
Chef Michel has advised four U.S. administrations, testified before Congress, and co-founded the National Produce Prescription Collaborative to advance “food as medicine” policy, ensuring fresh, nutritious food is accessible for all. He is also Founder and CEO of Wholesome Crave, a mission-driven food company supporting Wholesome Wave’s mission through earned revenue.
A lifelong Ashoka Fellow and 2015 James Beard Humanitarian of the Year, Nischan continues to drive systemic change, making the world better for all through the power of food.
Susan Spicer
Chef, author and restaurateur
Susan Spicer began her cooking career in New Orleans as an apprentice to Chef Daniel Bonnot at the Louis XVI Restaurant in 1979. Her resume includes staging with Chef Roland Durand in Paris, extensive travel in Europe and California, as well as stints at chef at Savoire Faire and the Bistro at Maison de Ville in New Orleans.
She and Regina Keever partnered together to open Bayona in the spring of 1990. With solid support from local diners and critics, Bayona soon earned national attention, countless awards and has been featured in numerous publications. Susan received the 1993 James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef Southeast.
Susan’s first book, entitled Crescent City Cooking: Unforgettable Recipes from Susan Spicer’s New Orleans, was released in 2007. New Orleans Magazine awarded it Best New Cookbook, and it was also included in Food & Wine’s Best of the Best recipe collection.
In May of 2010, Susan was inducted into the James Beard Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America. The same year she launched Mondo, a casual, family-style restaurant which opened in her neighborhood of Lakeview (now located at the New Orleans Airport). In October 2016 she opened her third restaurant, Rosedale, a neighborhood joint in a unique and historic building that serves her own style of Louisiana home cooking.
Collaborators
Cure
Founded by Neal Bodenheimer, Cure proudly claims the 2018 James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Bar Program and is often credited for spearheading New Orleans’ craft cocktail scene. In 2024, Cure received recognition on North America’s 50 Best Bars list and earned a spot in the Pinnacle Guide, and in 2025 was named the “best bar in the U.S.” by Food & Wine Magazine as part of their annual Global Tastemakers package.
Today, still leading the charge in all things cocktails, Cure offers a variety of deeply curated and “peer-reviewed” cocktails (the team regularly assembles for R&D meetings to workshop their recipes) that pair perfectly with the restaurant’s food menu helmed by Cure’s Executive Chef Alfredo Nogueira.
