Arnaud Leon Cazenave (1876-1948)

"Americans are prone to forget, in the ultra-rapidity and super-activity of modern life, trying to crowd eighty seconds of toil into a minute's time, that eating should be a pleasure, not a task to get over with in a hurry. A dinner chosen according to one's needs, tastes, and moods, well prepared and well served, is a joy to all senses and an impelling incentive to sound sleep, good health, and long life. Therefore, at least once a day, preferably in the quiet cool of the evening, one should throw all care to the winds, relax completely, and dine leisurely and well."

Born in Bosdarros, France on June 27, 1876, Arnaud Leon Cazenave was the first son born to Daniel C. Cazenave and Leontine Marie Lamothe. He grew up in France and immigrated to the United States in 1892 at the age of 16, settling in New Orleans, LA. According to his WWI draft registration card, Arnaud was tall with a medium build, black hair and brown eyes.

Arnaud married Irma Lamothe on April 25, 1901, in New Orleans. They had a daughter, Germaine (1902).

Arnaud worked as a waiter in various restaurants around New Orleans before opening his own restaurant, Arnauds, in ? with his brother Julian. It was Arnaud's misfortune to have opened a restaurant the year before the Volstead Act went through. Arnaud, like most Orleanians, believed that wine and spirits are natural companions of good food and good living. The fact that they were illegal seemed a detail. Nevertheless, the law finally caught up with the Count. He was imprisoned and the restaurant padlocked for a time. Ultimately, he won the jury over with a convincing explanation of his philosophy. He was acquitted in time for the end of Prohibition.

Arnaud died on May 29, 1948, just two months shy of his seventy-second birthday. He continues to look down on his main dining room in Arnaud's from a large oil painting mounted there. It is flanked by portraits of his wife Irma and her sister, Marie Lamothe. Rumor has it that the Count never could make up his mind between the two sisters.