Shanel Finister at Two Sisters Kitchen
"You ever heard of Glen Andrews? That's his son..." she points to the quiet young man sitting next to her: "That's my son."
Shanel Finister, chef and owner of Two Sister's Restaurant on North Derbigny Street in the historically musical Treme neighborhood, had no difficulty choosing her favorite local musician. Her 18-year-old son Glen Finister Andrews has been playing snare drum since he was three years old, inspired and taught by his older cousin, Eldrige "Eldo" Andrews.
She recalled his first live performance "He was about seven years old, and he was at the House of Blues. His father [Glen Andrews] brought him up on stage."
Since then, Glen Jr. has played with several different brass bands including the Rebirth, T.B.C., Baby Boyz Brass Band and Young Pin Stripe.
While her son ate his stack of pancakes, Shanel told me a little about the restaurant. For more than 37 years, Two Sisters has been in business, purchased by her parents from the original "sisters" (whom she remembers as miss Odell and Eloise Harris) in the early '70s. "I grew up working here...this is the only job i've ever had," she said. although she started out busing tables when she was 15, Shanel grew to become the main chef, especially after Hurricane Katrina. "We had three girls and two boys in my family, but only the girls are in the restaurant business," she said. "My brothers do their own thing." As a matter of fact, just recently in April of 2011, one of Shanel's older sisters opened a second restaurant on Chef Menteur Highway dubbed Sisters 'n Da East.
Like her brothers, it seems Shanel's son Glen veered away from the restaurant business, but that doesn't worry her at all. She attends all of her son's performances, most recently at the mid-City Bayou Boogaloo. "He just graduated from high school last Wednesday and he says he wants to go to barbering school," she said. "But he's really into that music... it's in his blood."
Two Sisters Restaurant • 223 N. Derbingy St. • 504.754.1336
