Chez Fernand to Tersiguel's

Fernand Tersiguel and his wife Odette opened the "Chez Fernand" French Restaurant in the mid 1970's. The second floor, where the restaurant operated was earlier known as "Libertini's Italian Restaurant. Before that, it was where Ken Olin originally opened his "Olin's Art Shop" before it moved just up the street.
Fernand was a very friendly fellow, and Odette a great cook, and it was not long before the restaurant was the most successful restaurant around. After getting to know Fernand and seeing some photos of their hometown area in Brittany, France. I came upon the idea of doing a series of oil paintings for him to hang in the restaurant. After selling him a few paintings, and mostly spending the money to take girlfriends there, we came upon an arrangement whereby after finishing a painting, and hanging it, I could just go to dinner and sign the check. A good arrangement for us both, he got the paintings, and I got to impress my girlfriends.
Sadly, in 1985, I received a telephone from Claudia, the girlfriend that I was to marry that year, telling me that Chez Fernand had burned down, and with it, all of the paintings, about 20 in all.
Just 2 weeks earlier, Claudia had been to the restaurant, and photographed the paintings.
After this tragedy, Fernand and Odette relocated their restaurant to Baltimore, for which I did another series of oil paintings of France. They must have missed the old town and it's people, for later, they sold the city location and returned to Ellicott City to the building where they now are, and re-named the restaurant "Tersiguel's.
When they reopened, we framed Claudia's photos of the destroyed paintings that hung in the original restaurant, and presented it to them as a gift. It now hangs in the "Memories" room.
I also re-created some of the paintings for the new restaurant, along with most of the framing that hangs throughout the restaurant, including all of the Tersiguel family photos.
Fernand and Odette's son Michel now runs the restaurant, and is giving it a new life that will remain long into the 21st century.