Jamie Shannon, acclaimed chef of Commander's Palace, dies at 40

Nation's Restaurant News, Dec 3, 2001

NEW ORLEANS -- Commander's Palace executive chef James P. "Jamie" Shannon, who succeeded Emeril Lagasse in that post in 1990, died Nov. 23 in Houston, where he had been undergoing treatment for cancer. He was 40.

Shannon, a 17-year veteran of the famed New Orleans restaurant and co-author of the "Commander's Kitchen" cookbook, was known as a champion of southern Louisiana regional ingredients and a consummate cook. He won the James Beard Award as best Southeastern chef in 1999 and led the kitchen of Commander's Palace when the Beard Foundation named the restaurant the nation's best in 1996.

Shannon was born Oct. 31, 1961, in Sea Isle, N.J. He was introduced early to local foods when he visited his grandparents, who owned a nearby farm, where they raised vegetables, chickens and hogs. He later worked in a cafeteria and a seafood restaurant in Wildwood, N.J., before attending The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, on a full scholarship. After graduation he served as saucier at Ivana's restaurant in the Trump Plaza Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J.

He joined the kitchen staff of Commander's Palace in 1984 when Lagasse was executive chef. Beginning as a saucier, Shannon moved up through the ranks to executive sous chef When Lagasse left in 1990 to open his own restaurant, Shannon was named to replace him.

During his tenure as executive chef both Shannon and Commander's Palace were recipients of numerous awards. Those honors include Chef of the Year from Chefs of America, 1992; Outstanding Service Award, James Beard Foundation, 1993; No. 1 Restaurant in America, Food & Wine magazine, 1995; Most Popular Restaurant, Zagat Survey, New Orleans, 1999; and No.2 Chef in the World, Robb Report, 1999.

In his spare time Shannon enjoyed riding the Harley-Davidson motorcycle he purchased from a Shriner who used to ride it in the Mardi Gras Parade.

"Jamie was the quintessential chef, but even more importantly, a beloved friend," Ti Martin, co-owner of Commander's Palace, said in a statement. "We have often said he has magic in his hands, fire in the belly and a twinkle in his eye.

"We need no award to know that Jamie Shannon was one of the greatest that our industry ever produced. We know the only thing he loved more than his work was his family and an army of close friends. We have had a long love affair with the handsome, motorcycle-riding, lanky kid who showed up 17 years ago and helped take Commander's Palace to new heights. For us the affair will never end."

In 1997, when asked if New Orleans felt like home to him, the New Jersey native responded: "It is my home. I love the summer. The food is incredible. The people are outstanding. And then you have the music. It has so much culture and depth. I wake up every morning and say, 'I love New Orleans, and I love my wife and I love my job.'"

Shannon is survived by his wife, Jeanne Rayer Shannon; a son, Tustin Shannon; his mother, Anne M. Shannon; his adoptive father, Patrick J. Shannon; his father, James E. Frazier; three brothers, Howard T. Trout III, Jamie T. Bitting and Jonathan Shannon; and three sisters, Lynda M. Frazier, Melissa A. Trout-Baron and Jocaelynn Shannon.