Ruth Fertel
Ruth Fertel | |
---|---|
Born | Ruth Ann Udstad February 5, 1927 New Orleans, Louisiana |
Resting place | Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery |
Nationality | American |
Education | Louisiana State University |
Occupation(s) | Restaurateur: founder, Ruth's Chris Steak House |
Years active | 1965–2002 |
Spouse |
Rodney Fertel (m. 1948–1958) |
Children | 2 sons |
Ruth Ann Udstad Fertel (February 5, 1927 – April 16, 2002) was a Louisiana businesswoman, best known as the founder of Ruth's Chris Steak Houses, which was founded in 1965.
Early life and teaching
Ruth Ann Udstad was born into a poor family of
She skipped several grades in elementary school, and graduated at age 15.
In 1946, Udstad obtained a job teaching at McNeese State University in Lake Charles. She left after two semesters.[7]
On October 2, 1948, she married Rodney Fertel, who lived in Baton Rouge and shared her love of horses, and they had two sons, Jerry and Randy. In 1951, they opened a racing stable in Baton Rouge. Ruth earned a thoroughbred trainer's license, making her the first female horse trainer in Louisiana.[8] Ruth and Rodney divorced in 1958. Rodney failed in the 1969 mayoral election in New Orleans as "The Gorilla Man", often wearing a gorilla suit to campaign events, championing the cause of renovating the Audubon Zoo.[9]
Unable to support herself and her teenage sons on her alimony payments, she initially supplemented her income by making drapes out of her own home.[10] In 1961, she took a job as a lab technician for physician-scientist George E. Burch at the Tulane University School of Medicine, earning $4,800 a year.[11][12][13][self-published source]
Restaurateur
Chris' Steak House (1965–1976)
In 1965 Fertel, realizing she needed to earn more money to send her sons to college, found a classified ad in the
Fertel personally took a hand in every part of the business. She had to teach herself how to butcher steak, and despite being just five-foot-two and 110-pounds, would saw up 30-pound short loins by hand until she could afford an electric band saw. She staffed her restaurant with single mothers, saying that they were hard workers and reliable. For many years, Chris Steak House was the only upscale restaurant in New Orleans with an all-female wait staff.[18] From the beginning her restaurant attracted local politicians as well as athletes, businessmen and reporters.[19] Local celebrities like Fats Domino were regulars.[20]
Ruth's Chris Steak House (1976 onwards)
In early 1976, shortly after signing a new ten-year lease on the restaurant, a fire ruined the property. Fertel had recently acquired a second property nearby to rent out as party space. Within seven days, she had relocated the restaurant to its new location a few blocks away at 711 Broad Street and re-opened it, expanding to 160 seats in the process.[21] The sales agreement prevented her from using the original name at any other address, so she named the new restaurant Ruth's Chris Steak House. She admitted later to Fortune Magazine that "I've always hated the name, but we've always managed to work around it."[22] Political reporter Rosemary James noted that she "would not have missed a Friday before a major election at Ruth's Chris Steak House. That was the place to be if you wanted to get some scoops."[23] Fertel bought two shotgun houses behind the restaurant, remodeled and connected them, and lived there for the rest of her life.[24]
The same year, Fertel agreed to issue her first franchise. The first franchised restaurant was opened in 1977 by a loyal customer,
She continued to run the Ruth's Chris business throughout her life. In 1997, the year she turned 70, she personally visited 42 of her restaurants to "smell out how they're doing.".
Death
A smoker for more than fifty years,[29] she was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2000, and died two years later in 2002, at age 75. She was buried in Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery, in a lavish mausoleum she and her friend and business partner, Lana Duke, had commissioned in 1995, and which cost over $500,000.[30][31] The granite building, on a square 27-foot plot, has black columns and stained glass windows featuring angels and the words "It's A Wonderful World". The Fertel-Duke mausoleum can hold six, and is intended to have Fertel family on one side and Duke family on the other. It was designed by the art department at Duke's advertising company.[32] In 1999, Fertel and Duke held a party for over 150 guests to mark the completion of the structure. The event was presided over by Father Bob Massett, who blessed the crowd with a sprinkling of beer.[33][34]
Honors and awards
Her many awards include:[35]
- 1992 – Regional Entrepreneur of the Year, Inc. Magazine
- 1995 – Entrepreneur of the Year, Horatio Alger Association
- 1999 Lafcadio Hearn Award, presented by the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute
- 2001 – Ella Brennan Savoir Faire Award
- DiRōNA (Distinguished Restaurants of North America) Hall of Fame Member[36]
- Executive of the Year, Restaurants and Institutions Magazine
- Restaurant Business High Performance Leadership Award
Legacy and philanthropy
During her lifetime, she was known for her charitable work. In 1965, when Hurricane Betsy hit New Orleans, she was left without power, and realized that the food in her restaurant was in danger of spoiling. She cooked everything and provided free steak meals to disaster workers and victims in the local area.[37] She paid for the education of numerous children, provided counseling for women starting businesses, and contributed to local schools.[38]
The Ruth U. Fertel Foundation, established in her will, supports education in Louisiana through programs designed to serve students from kindergarten through college. It gave away $1.2 million in 2006 after Hurricane Katrina.[39]
The Ruth U. Fertel Culinary Arts Center at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, is a planned expansion of the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute. It will include a student-operated restaurant, six kitchens, a commissary, an auditorium, a computer lab and several classrooms. The historic Rienzi-Levert house will house offices and provide accommodations for receptions and other special events.[40]
The annual Ruth Fertel Keeper of the Flame Award is made jointly by the
Honorees include:
- 2000 J.C. Hardaway – pitmaster, Memphis, TN
- 2001 Ed Scott – catfish farmer, Drew, MS
- 2002 James Willis – pitmaster, Memphis, TN
- 2003 Bill Best – bean and tomato farmer, Berea, KY
- 2004 Martha Hawkins – restaurant owner, Montgomery, AL
- 2005 Martin Sawyer – bartender, New Orleans, LA
- 2006 Tommy Ward – oysterman, Apalachicola, FL
- 2007 Elizabeth Scott – tamale maker, Greenville, MS
- 2008 Earl Cruze – dairy farmer, Knoxville, TN
- 2009 Geno Lee – restaurant owner, Jackson, MS
- 2010 Peter Nguyen – on behalf of Gulf Coast Vietnamese fishing communities, MS
- 2011 Hardy Farms – peanut farm in Hawkinsville, GA
- 2012 Helen Turner — pitmistress of Helen's Bar-B-Q in Brownsville, TN
- 2013 Alzina Toups — operates Alzina's, a Cajun dining restaurant in Galliano, LA
- 2014 Goren "Red Dog" Avery — 30-year professional waiter, Birmingham, AL
- 2015 Phila Hach — caterer, innkeeper, and author, Nashville, TN
- 2016 David Shields — historian, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
- 2017 Laura Patricia Ramírez — tortilleria owner, Lexington, KY
- 2018 Adrian Miller — author, Denver, CO
- 2019 Felton Hurst — restaurant owner, Kenner, LA
- 2020 Hanan Shabazz — restaurateur and activist, Asheville, NC
References
- ^ "Randy Fertel, philanthropist and son of steakhouse founder Ruth and 'Gorilla Man' Rodney puts family's legacy into print". The Times-Picayune. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Steamroller - Ruth Fertel". Capitalist Chicks. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Randy Fertel, philanthropist and son of steakhouse founder Ruth and 'Gorilla Man' Rodney puts family's legacy into print". The Times-Picayune. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Her Life Is The Stuff Of Legend" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Steamroller – Ruth Fertel". Capitalist Chicks. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Randy Fertel, philanthropist and son of steakhouse founder Ruth and 'Gorilla Man' Rodney puts family's legacy into print". The Times-Picayune. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Steamroller – Ruth Fertel". Capitalist Chicks. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Steamroller – Ruth Fertel". Capitalist Chicks. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-61703-083-3.
- ^ "Steamroller – Ruth Fertel". Capitalist Chicks. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ Katie Bloor & Linda J Shea. "Ruth Fertel: A Pioneer in the Restaurant Industry". HTM 591S – Foundations in Hospitality and Tourism Management. University of Massachusetts Amherst. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Her Life Is The Stuff Of Legend" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-4500-8800-8.
- ^ "Ruth Fertel: A Pioneer in the Restaurant Industry, Katie Bloor & Linda J Shea, PhD". HTM 591S – Foundations in Hospitality and Tourism Management. University of Massachusetts Amherst. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Steamroller – Ruth Fertel". Capitalist Chicks. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Her Life Is The Stuff Of Legend" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Ruth Fertel of Steakhouse Fame Is Dead at 75". NY Times. April 18, 2002. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Her Life Is The Stuff Of Legend" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Randy Fertel, philanthropist and son of steakhouse founder Ruth and 'Gorilla Man' Rodney puts family's legacy into print". The Times-Picayune. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "An Author Finds His Therapy Inside A Family Memoir". De Soto: Exploring the South. January 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Her Life Is The Stuff Of Legend" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Ruth Fertel of Steakhouse Fame Is Dead at 75". NY Times. April 18, 2002. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Randy Fertel, philanthropist and son of steakhouse founder Ruth and 'Gorilla Man' Rodney puts family's legacy into print". The Times-Picayune. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Randy Fertel, philanthropist and son of steakhouse founder Ruth and 'Gorilla Man' Rodney puts family's legacy into print". The Times-Picayune. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ Bill Lodge. "Philanthropist, founder of TJ Ribs, Ruffino's restaurants T.J. Moran dies at age 84, family friend says: Restaurateur funded medical outreach". Baton Rouge Advocate. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
- ^ "Her Life Is The Stuff Of Legend" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "An Author Finds His Therapy Inside A Family Memoir". De Soto: Exploring the South. January 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Her Life Is The Stuff Of Legend" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ Katie Bloor & Linda J Shea. "Ruth Fertel: A Pioneer in the Restaurant Industry". HTM 591S – Foundations in Hospitality and Tourism Management. University of Massachusetts Amherst. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "An Author Finds His Therapy Inside A Family Memoir". De Soto: Exploring the South. January 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Ruth Fertel of Steakhouse Fame Is Dead at 75". NY Times. April 18, 2002. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Tomb Share (Randy Fertel)". Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Tomb Share" (PDF). The Times-Picayune. Jun 18, 1999. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Takes of the Crypt". Kentucky New Era. July 8, 2000. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Her Life Is The Stuff Of Legend" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "DiRoNA Hall of Fame". Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Steamroller – Ruth Fertel". Capitalist Chicks. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "An Author Finds His Therapy Inside A Family Memoir". De Soto: Exploring the South. January 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "The Ruth U. Fertel Foundation". Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Chef John Folse Culinary Institute". Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "The Ruth U. Fertel Foundation". Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Ruth Fertel Keeper of the Flame Award". Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013.