1972-75 Begins his career in his parents restaurant in Annandale VA. Discovers he loves the kitchen.
1976-77 Works at Victoria Station steak house in the salad station and works his way up to the broiler station, he loves the adrenaline rush of a busy restaurant.
1977-79 Hired as Chef de Partie at the Springfield Hilton. First time experience working under a professional trained chef and realizes he wants to become a chef.
1979-82 Lands a job as the 2,000-room Washington Sheraton Hotel and works his way up to sous chef. Learns about high volume, garde manger work, buffet presentations and restaurant management.
1982-84 Moves to New York to work at work at the famed Le Cirque restaurant, quickly rises to saucier and masters French cuisine.
1984-86 Moves to Europe to work in some of the greatest Michelin starred kitchens including, Taillevent, La Tour d’ Argent, Les Crayeres, La Gavroche, Gualtiero Marchesi, and Locanda dell’ Angelo.
1986 Returns to New York to be sous chef at Drew Nieporent’s Montrachet restaurant.
1987 Opens first restaurant Annabel’s to rave reviews and becomes “known”. “A talented chef Terry Brennan (Formerly of Le Cirque) and sous chef of Montrachet t is producing first class American food with French twists” –Zagat Guide
1988-90 Relaunches the iconic Polo Restaurant at the Westbury Hotel to critical acclaim for his contemporary American cuisine. “ Mr. Brennan’s technique with sauces, his alchemy with seasonings, and his artistic eye transform some of the most humble produce and innocuous ingredients to nouvelle heights.” NY Newsday. Mr. Brennan has a strong foundation in French techniques witch he applies to American products with style and sensitivity.” NY Times
1990-93 Opens Prix Fixe restaurant and it becomes an instant success. “Surrender to the sensuous complexity of chef Brennan’s cooking…everything is brilliantly garnished.”- NY Magazine. “…morsels of venison was one of the most spectacular dishes of the year.” Travel & Leisure. … “A brilliant young chef named Terrance Brennan.” Passport to New York Restaurants
1992- 93 Opens Steak Frites- … “everything has a certain elegance and lots of flavor…”impeccable mussels…first-rate fries”-NY Magazine. “What makes Steak Frites a winner after only six weeks is the engaging food of Terrance Brennan,” NY Times
1993- 2016 Opens Picholine and introduces New Yorkers to the traditional cheese cart. “…It was the most perfect winter dish I have ever eaten.” “First rate ingredients and superior execution”-NY Times “Brilliant” “Extraordinary” “Exquisite”- Zagat Guide “One key to its longevity is a ferocious commitment to quality and the restlessness inventiveness of its chef-owner Terrance Brennan, who constantly finds ways to freshen the menu…
2001-15 Opens Artisanal Fromageri Bistro And Wine Bar- Artisanal gains immediate prominence as a shrine to the pleasures of fine cheeses and French Bistro Fair. Awarded Best New Restaurant by Esquire Magazine. “Say cheese and try not to smile” -NY Times
2003-08 Opens Artisanal Premium Cheese Center. a 10,000 square foot facility dedicated to the selection, maturation and distribution to the worlds finest Artisanal Chesses. Awarded Outstanding Retailer by Specialty Food Magazine. “One of the true pioneers of cheese service in Americas was chef-restaurateur Terrance Brennan…distinguished his menu by offering the largest selection of cheese in America (and perhaps the world)”-NBC News
2005 Debuts cookbook Artisanal Cooking-a chef shares his passion for handcrafting great meals at home. Nominated by IACP for best cookbook.
2005 Partners with Starbucks Coffee and introduces The Artisanal Cheese Plate to their menu
2006 Launches Fresh Dining by Terrance Brennan for Fresh Direct, a line fresh microwaveable meals for the home consumer.- “Brennan developed eight meals with an astonishing level of deliciousness”…-Gothamist magazine. “Swiss chard with pumpkin ravioli was perfection”…-NY Times
2006 Creates the Artisanal Cheese Cake for national retail sales. Wins Outstanding New Product by the National Association of Specialty Foods/ New York Fancy Food Show
2013 Launches Brennan Group Consulting and shares his knowledge on various projects. One of note is the Hermitage Club where Terrance created and launched six restaurants and eight concepts in a span of five months.
2015 Launches Brennan Group Hospitality to create new partnerships and collaborations.
2016 The Roundhouse by Terrance Brennan a farm-inspired nose to tail American restaurant designed by David Rockwell. “Helming the Roundhouse’s restaurant is Chef Terrance Brennnan. He established himself as a culinary legend in New York City at Picholine and Artisanal, earning a wealth of critical accolades and 2 stars from the Michelin Guide.” The striped bass poached in whey and the New Bedford sea scallops are ambrosial.” Desserts are sublime…”Huffington Post.
