Executive Profile: Lynne Breaux

By Missy Frederick , Staff Reporter for The Washington Business Journal

June 22, 2012

The Basics

Background: Fashion model. Hotel manager. Bar owner. Nonprofit exec. Breaux, 64, has worn many hats in her career. She will don a more literal one June 24, when the 2012 Rammy Awards, with the theme “Hats off to Restaurants,” will gather chefs and mixologists in their finest fedoras and fascinators. In her current role, the native of another great restaurant town, New Orleans, serves as a powerful voice for the local hospitality industry.

Education: Bachelor’s in sociology, Louisiana State University

First job: Working for my father’s grocery store. It wasn’t social enough for me.

Family: Husband Peter Arapis, son Scott Cooper, three grandchildren; lives in Capitol Hill.

Business Strategy

On honing lobbying skills: Having grown up in a Southern environment, I always try to be polite. I tend to be optimistic and see the best in people. I think politicians liked the fact that my restaurant, [Tunnicliff’s Tavern in D.C.], was always very bipartisan, which is unfortunately missing in our politics.

Biggest hospitality change in 10 years: It’s really all about delicious food in a casual environment. Men can show up with jeans, a blazer and nice crisp shirt for dinner and look great. Small plates have also been a big trend, and being able to dine well at a bar.

What’s next for cuisine? More Peruvian, South American. There’s room for more Mediterranean. There’s been a lot of Italian. There could be more Asian.

On this year’s Rammys: The highest award we give out, the Duke Zeibert Award, is about who laid the groundwork for the growth of the restaurant industry. Jose Andres, last year’s winner, is presenting an award toAnthony Williams, the former mayor. We owe the fiscal stability that allowed for the growth of our industry to Anthony Williams. I remember going up in 2006 with him to the taping of the first Food Network episode featuring a D.C. chef. It was such a thrill to be up there with a mayor who understood the importance of our industry.

Judgment Calls

Why hospitality? With my degree in sociology, I loved studying how people interact in groups. And my father had owned a supermarket. And I dated a lot at LSU, which was great experience for what I do now. The light bulb just went off.

Reality versus fantasy of owning a restaurant: There’s a great quote about restaurants that says it’s not the food, it’s the lease that determines success. When my lease was up, it was time after 13 years. When we closed, it was Mardi Gras. We had always had a hell of a Mardi Gras party, and there was a great jazz band and a lot of tears. We really were “Cheers” over at Tunnicliff’s.

True Confessions

Favorite cuisine: Mediterranean. Since I am French, I like a lightish French meal. My husband’s Greek, so we tend to do more Mediterranean.

Where did you meet your husband? In my bar.

Favorite item on Tunnicliff’s menu? The catfish tidbits with bon ton sauce.

On New Orleans: One reason I left the place was because it was so slow. Now the reason I love New Orleans is because it is so slow.

Personality in high school: I was a big jock. I played all the sports, particularly basketball.

Favorite story from modeling days: In the ’80s, I was doing an ad for one of the first new high-end restaurants in New Orleans, Louis XVI. The original copy had a picture of me eating an oyster rather suggestively. The first copy said “Do it the French way.” Well that got banned. So they ended up just running with “joie de vivre.”

Your most controversial ad: Yes, I appeared in “Playboy.” But it was fully clothed. I had worked in Aspen for a year. I think they wanted me to be one of the girls from Aspen or something. I told them I would only do fully clothed. So it was just an ad. But there’s still shock value to the story.