Vern Lanegrasse

Vern Lanegrasse was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Both parents were of French descent, with his father being a Cajun Chef. Vern started his acting-singing career in New York, moving to Hollywood in the early 1950's, performing in the studio chorus and as a background extra in films. Vern joined the page staff at NBC TV at the Hollywood, Sunset and Vine radio broadcast studio. With the NBC studio move to the new Burbank broadcasting facility, he was promoted to head page, supervising the page staff. Most notable of his pages was Jim Nabors. After leaving NBC, he became known as "The Hollywood Chef" appearing on local hosted daily television interview talk shows. His restaurant reviews, food columns, and appearance at festivals as a food judge, made his moniker as the Hollywood Chef. (Which Vern also registered and copyrighted in his name). Lanegrasse became famous for his lavish Twelfth Night Dinner gatherings, through the years, in his Hollywood home on Orange Grove Avenue - a Southern Mansion. Stanley Kersten, of Kersten Florist, (a close friend) always provided the table center pieces and home floral decorations, assisted by Walter Wood, for the evening soirée.