Growing up in his father’s restaurant in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Tenney Flynn developed an innate understanding of Southern food, its traditions and hard work associated with the restaurant business. This experience not only served as an informal training ground for Tenney, it also sparked a keen interest in the culinary arts, especially cooking. After spending many weeknights and summers in the kitchen with his father, Tenney’s thirst for increasing food knowledge and exposure to different cuisines, cooking techniques and styles of food lead him to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York. With a degree in hand and his formal training now behind him, Tenney’s horizons had no boundaries.
Flynn officially began his fine dining career with Atlanta’s esteemed Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, starting as a cook and leaving as a chef. His tenure with Buckhead Life included stints at such famed restaurants as Pano’s and Paul’s, The Atlanta Fishmarket at Lenox and finally, as Executive Chef of Chops. Upon hearing of his dedication, ability and commitment to perfection, Ruth’s Chris Steak House recruited his talents for its company as the Director of Culinary Operations. During his seven years there, one of the main lessons he learned from the experience was: only work with the finest and freshest products available, in season. While heading the culinary operations at the venerable Ruth’s Chris chain, Flynn met another person who shared this commitment to working with only the best products at their peak times, his current partner Gary Wollerman.
Then the Chief Operating Officer for Ruth’s Chris, Gary Wollerman possessed the same beliefs and ideals as Chef Tenney Flynn when it came to running restaurants. He also knew first-hand Flynn’s skills, expertise and true passion for working with seafood. The two Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse veterans realized a dream and an obsession for seafood with the opening of their own restaurant GW Fins, in March of 2001.
In GW Fins, Flynn and Wollerman provided New Orleans with its first upscale seafood restaurant. Flynn commonly refers to GW Fins as “a Prime Seafood House” offering guests the absolute finest and freshest seafood available from all corners of the world. Whether it is Dover Sole from Holland, Goeduck Clams from Oregon or Turbot from Chilé diners have the opportunity to sample premium quality seafood from around the world including those species found in their own backyard. Thus, many of Louisiana’s unique seafood products indigenous to the area such as pompano, white shrimp, blue crab and blue fin tuna are also featured prominently on GW Fins’ menu, when in season.
“My culinary philosophy is simple. If you are working with seafood that already has wonderful flavor, the cooking techniques should enhance the flavors rather than overwhelm them,” states Flynn. “I draw on the experience I have obtained through working for several high quality restaurants to prepare seafood in a way that showcases its optimal flavor and textures.” Chef Flynn goes on to say, “The most exciting aspect of running the kitchen at GW fins is working with our purveyors to source the best quality seafood for our guests. Each morning I am on the phone finding out who has the freshest product available today from around the globe, as well as right here in Louisiana.” These commitments to quality and to the guest are just some of the reasons GW Fins prints its menu daily.
Chef Tenney Flynn’s expertise has not gone unnoticed. GW Fins opened to thundering applause in 2001, being named as one of Esquire magazine’s “Best New Restaurants.” Additional accolades continued from the national and local press alike, including but not limited to: Travel & Leisure, The New York Times, Food & Wine, The Times Picayune, Southern Living, the Zagat guide and local critic Tom Fitzmorris. Especially noteworthy is Tenney Flynn being unanimous named as the “2004 Chef of the Year” by New Orleans magazine.
Chef Flynn enjoys spending time with his teenage son Michael, whom he often brings into the kitchen with him at GW Fins, just as his father did with him. When not busy in his restaurant, Flynn’s hobbies include fishing, gardening, running and cooking at his New Orleans home.
To plate:
Flash the tuna for 1 minute under a broiler. Place a spoonful of Yukon potatoes in the center of a hot plate. Arrange 1 tablespoon creamed leeks on one side of the potatoes and a segment of mushroom on the other. Sauce the base of the mushroom with one teaspoon of mushroom butter. Shingle 3-4 slices of rare bluefin tuna on top of the potatoes and sauce with 2 teaspoons veal jus. Serve immediately.
