Like so many good local eateries, Brenda’s is well known by the neighborhood, but often unknown to strangers — except readers of travel writers. The award-winning, hall of fame cook keeps as jewels in a corner of her intimate dining room, cards from fans writing from around the world. For her menu options Monday through Friday and short orders, call 367-0868 for pickup or dine-in.

Just down the road from the Iberia Parish Courthouse, in the little mauve pink diner, is a way of life that is exemplary for any business owner. A visit with Brenda Placide, between serving customers, makes you wonder why it has taken so long to go inside to enjoy good southern cooking, not too spicy, just flavored right. The 30-year veteran of the kitchen most recently won the Solomon House Top Chef with a Twist award for 2018. The first time competition challenged area restaurant owners and accomplished cooks, with one assistant, with cooking a prize winning recipe from the ingredients available on the pantry shelves at Solomon House. Regular customers have kept Brenda in business as a plate lunch and breakfast eatery that caters any gathering including repass receptions and weddings. Her heart is as open as the door to the restaurant for anyone who is hungry.

What else do you do? Do you do special orders, too?

I do everything, weddings, catering, repass — and I give a lot of food away. The 23rd I gave away 400 complimentary dinners from Brenda’s Diner. I’ve been here 30 years and I wanted to give something back to the community. (One customer) has been coming here 30 years. He came in feeling bad and the Lord pushed me to say, “I’m going to have a benefit dinner. Y’all buy the food and I’m going to cook it as a benefit dinner.” I’m giving free food and the whole New Iberia comes. But if they have to buy it, I’m too high. December 24 this past year, so many homeless came for food, it touched my heart. All I could hear was, “Thank you Ms. Brenda.” It spreads like wildfire.

How many dinners a day do you serve?

It’s slow right now, but I’ve been here 30 years, I’m okay. We feed about 50, on the busiest days, I couldn’t even count. This week I’m busy with a golf tournament Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Saturday and Sunday we’ve got to deliver.

Do you ever close to do catering jobs? How do your customers know if you’ll be closed?

Yes, I’ve got to. If they come and the door’s closed, I’m closed. I don’t tell them.

What time do you start cooking in the morning?

5:30 a.m. I put on my lunch dishes and then I start with breakfast.

Travelers know you all over the world, how does that happen?

I’m in the Hall of Fame. I was put in there by journalist Jane and Michael Sterns. Every book they do they put me in it. When I first opened up they came in. I didn’t know who they was. I love to play my gospel music. They were sitting right there at that table, I was playing gospel, didn’t know who they was. They said, “Ms. Brenda, is it okay if we write about you?” See all these books, every book for 30 years they always put me in it. I hear from people all over the world. All these cards come from overseas.

Is that a picture of you and Tommy Lee Jones?

When Tommy Lee Jones was here shooting, they took him all over. He said, “We live in San Antonio. Will you come cook for me?” I always ask what kind of stove you have, and he said electric. I told him, “Tommy Lee, I’d need to cook with my Magnalite pot, but I’m not driving and it is too heavy to carry on the plane. They won’t let me on with all my pots.” He told he was going to send his chauffeur to pick me up, just call him when I’m ready. But, I was opening my son’s restaurant in Dallas at the time. He was working here but his wife got a better job in Dallas. He moved to Dallas and started working at Ford Motor Co. and on the weekends served plate lunches. That’s how I got started. Every weekend I’d go to Dallas and help him. When he could, he found this little place and opened it up. I helped him open it up. I ordered my food from Lamm Foods, Mitch Patout and Andre, they take good care of me. I’d pack it up and take it to Dallas. I told Tommy Lee, I can’t help you, I’ve got to go help my son. My son’s got a six-figure business now in Dallas and I still go help him cook.

Did Tommy Lee Jones help you promote your business while he was shooting “In the Electric Mist” in New Iberia?

They couldn’t outright but they put this picture in the newspaper. The caption read, “‘Electric Mist’ line producer John Hardy and Michael Fitzgerald, the movie’s producer, study a map of New Iberia, not looking for a place to shoot a scene but how to find one of their favorite places to eat, Brenda’s Diner on Pershing Street.” Chef John Folse helped me promote by business at all these radio stations. I tell them, they don’t need to know me, they just need to know my business.

Do you have any words of wisdom to pass along to other business owners?

You know what my blessing was? When I told my mother I was going to open a restaurant, she told me, “Brenda if you’re going into it for the money you’ll have a short haul. But if you go into it for the love of the food, you’ll have a long haul.”