Chef Terrance Brennan

Chef and CEO, Brennan Group Hospitality

With a culinary career spanning over forty years, Terrance Brennan is a highly-accomplished chef, restaurateur, consultant and entrepreneur. Throughout his career, Chef Brennan has won multiple awards and accolades and is one of America’s most renowned and imaginative chefs and restaurateurs.  Terrance is the Chef/CEO of Brennan Group Hospitality and Brennan Group Consulting, which has launched numerous critically acclaimed restaurants and products

Originally from Virginia, Brennan grew up in the kitchen cooking at his family’s restaurant, and later worked a multitude of positions in restaurants and hotels across Virginia and Washington, DC, before moving to New York to work at the legendary Le Cirque, rising through the ranks over two and a half years, ultimately becoming sous chef.

In order to hone his skills even further, Brennan moved to Europe where he had the opportunity to work in a number of Michelin-starred kitchens such as Taillevent, La Tour d’ Argent, Les Crayeres, Gualtiero Marchesi, Locanda Dell’ Angelo and La Gavroche. A defining moment for Brennan was while working in the south of France under Chef Roger Verge at Le Moulin de Mougins, where he was inspired by the region, and his personal culinary style began to emerge. Brennan took his craft back to the states, and in 1993, he opened his first restaurant, the critically acclaimed Picholine. Quickly becoming a premier dining destination, Picholine earned two Michelin stars, three stars from The New York Times, and a James Beard nomination for Outstanding Restaurant, among others. Picholine became a longstanding fixture in New York, welcoming guests for nearly 25 years

In 2001, Brennan expanded the impressive cheese service he created for Picholine, and opened Artisinal, a bistro-fromagerie-wine bar that was the first US restaurant to feature a cheese shop and cheese aging “caves.” Leaping off of its success, Brennan opened The Artisanal Premium Cheese Center, a 10,000 square-foot facility dedicated to the world’s finest artisanal cheeses. Brennan later launched Brennan Group Consulting and Brennan Group Hospitality, offering a wide range of services within the hospitality industry.

In 2019 Brennan Group Hospitality joins forces with Guy Rigby of Octopus to bring over 80 years of experience to their clients.

Guy Rigby

Founder & President, Octopus

Guy’s passion is food. For 26 years he ate his way around the world with Four Seasons Hotels. From Houston, Tokyo and Hong Kong, to Bangkok, New York and now Toronto he emerged himself in the food culture of each country. As VP of F&B for Four Seasons Americas, Guy launched a transformation in all hotels and resorts from old dining rooms to vibrant restaurant & bar concepts that were hugely popular and which made money. In the last ten years he’s had a hand in the renovation and creation of over fifty new restaurants.

In 2016 Guy started his own company doing much of the same… creating vibrant restaurant & bar concepts and assisting underperforming restaurants & bars to become profitable. 

Guy lives in Toronto and is a proud father to two very active teenage daughters and his beloved Golden Retriever, Archie.