Ti Martin

Ti Adelaide Martin is a restaurateur, entrepreneur, author, and public speaker whose career has established her as a prominent figure in American hospitality. Martin attended Tulane University, earning an MBA before returning to New Orleans to join her family's restaurant business. She launched the food products company Creole Cravings, later selling it to McCormick, and subsequently opened Palace Café with her cousins. Ella Brennan entrusted Martin and her cousin Lally Brennan with the day-to-day operations of Commander's Palace before the cousins formally became co-proprietors.

Under Martin's leadership, Commander's Palace has maintained a reputation for fine dining in New Orleans and nationally. The restaurant is known for its innovative New Haute Creole cuisine, honoring the legacy of matriarch Ella Brennan through a commitment to culinary excellence. With chefs such as Jamie Shannon, Tory McPhail, Emeril Lagasse, and Executive Chef Meg Bickford, Commander's Palace continues to focus on exceptional cuisine and hospitality.

Martin's achievements include recognition as Biz New Orleans Executive of the Year, the James Beard Award for Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America, the Louisiana Restaurant Association's Restaurateur of the Year, Wine Spectator's Grand Award, City Business' Woman of the Year Award, and contributing to Commander's Palace receiving seven James Beard Foundation Awards. She has also been inducted into the Culinary Institute of America Hall of Fame.

As an author and storyteller, Martin co-authored the book "Miss Ella of Commander's Palace" with her mother. The documentary "Ella Brennan: Commanding the Table," directed by Leslie Iwerks, explores the modern American food movement and the philosophies of both women on food, hospitality, and business, and is available on Apple TV. Martin has expanded her entrepreneurial ventures by opening Picnic Provisions & Whiskey in Uptown New Orleans with partners Darryl Reginelli and Executive Chef Tory McPhail, and, alongside Lally Brennan, drawing inspiration from childhood travels to open Le Petit Bleu, a companion café to Commander's Palace. She also helped launch Commander's Collection, the restaurant's line of home and kitchen goods.

Beyond the restaurant industry, Martin has contributed to civic leadership and community development. She is co-founder of the New Orleans Proud to Call It Home campaign, served as finance chair and member of the Aviation board for Louis Armstrong International Airport's terminal project, and is co-founder and chair of the board of the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute (NOCHI), a nonprofit facility dedicated to hospitality education. Martin serves on the board of the Idea Village, as a member of the Tulane University President's Council and A.B. Freeman Business School Board, and on the Board of Visitors at Xavier University of New Orleans. She has hosted The American Cuisine and Hospitality Symposium, a forum on the future of food and hospitality in the United States attended by restaurateurs, chefs, CEOs, food writers, and students. Martin's ongoing work continues to influence the hospitality industry and the New Orleans community.