The Hennesseys
AT HOME
Celebrating a Life Rooted in Love and Laughter
Written by Melanie Morose Edelstein | Photography by Erik Jay
The measure of a successful mogul is not only their next acquisition but it is often the love and support of their partner that drives them to achievement. Never has that been more true than in the case of longtime Palos Verdes residents Jennifer and Paul Hennessey.
Playing the lead role in the epic drama known as The Hennessey Family, matriarch Jennnifer Hennessey gives herself credit for making her 50 year marriage to her restaurateur husband Paul, the thrilling ride that it is. When asked what the secret to maintaining such a long and loving relationship is, Jennifer quickly responds with an easy laugh, “it’s me”.
A mother, wife, partner, philanthropist, friend, traveler and voracious reader, Jennifer Hennessey is loving every minute of her seventh decade. The hard work she has put into her family over the years is evident in the smiles and closeness of this impressive extended family.
"We were always able to really feed off each other. You know, it really is a woven tapestry that we put together. And it’s strong because both of our roles are equally important.”
—Jennifer Hennessey
“We are nowhere near retired. We just constantly have so much fun. We’ve got such a great family. It is because of perseverance. I’ve always tried to be the glue that kept this entire three-ring circus together. I’ve realized that I am a very strong woman,” she says with a radiant, confident smile.
Jennifer Hennessy says family life on the Palos Verdes Peninsula is idyllic. Today, the Hennessey family is reaping the rewards of a lifetime of hard work. Laughter, honesty and a caustic sense of humor are cornerstones to the couple’s happiness and prosperity. “We were always able to really feed off each other,” Jennifer jokes. “You know, it really is a woven tapestry that we put together. And it’s strong because both of our roles are equally important.”
The couple’s lasting love is in part because they have had faith in each other since the beginning. “I was always going to allow him to follow what he needed to do in order to be successful. I wanted a family, that was more important than anything. I felt from the beginning that he was going to do something amazing, something big. I didn’t know what it was but I knew. He was just somebody that was going to do something special.”
COMING TO CALIFORNIA
“It began when we met on a commuter train coming out of New York City and I was 21 years old. We decided we wanted to set forth on an adventure and quickly we were traveling across the country in a pup tent. We came out to California. We just didn’t know what we didn’t know but it was the best time of our lives,” Jennifer remembers. “We went to San Francisco. I got into retail and he got into the restaurant business. As a busboy. We didn’t have any money and we were really lucky that we didn’t kill each other because we didn’t really know each other. Can you imagine?” she beams.
The Hennesseys have always trusted their instincts and each other. They admittedly built their hugely successful life on a wing and a prayer. “Me being the practical person and him having a strong entrepreneurial spirit, there’s the balance, and that’s what works.”
BUILDING A LIFE AND STAYING TOGETHER
This couple has a fun and exciting life that was built with intention and love. We were very interested to know how they have managed to stay together in an industry that touts one of the highest divorce rates. Work-life balance is hard for anyone but starting at the bottom in the restaurant and bar business and building it into a total of 16 restaurants in different cities adds significantly more stressors on a marriage and family dynamic.
We asked Jennifer about this and she told us, “There are a few words that I feel are really important to describe what we have. Leniency is one of them. I gave him understanding and the allowance to put the time in he needed to achieve his goals, probably more than most women would, but it was my choice to do it.
Because I know that that’s what he needed to do. Also, you know, you have to be tolerant, but you also have to be accepting of what you give out. I knew that giving him all this leniency to work as many hours as he was, that he needed to do that in order for us both to fulfill our dreams of having a successful marriage and a successful family. That’s what we needed to do. And we had to do it because neither one was more important than the other. That was the nice thing. What I did was just as important as what he was doing. And he saw it that way too.”
The couple’s restaurant empire is vast and includes sixteen restaurants that expand from Manhattan Beach to San Diego to Las Vegas. In an industry where more than two-thirds of the new entrants fail within the first year, the Hennesseys have demonstrated atypical longevity and prosperity. Their South Bay locations include Hermosa, Manhattan and Redondo Beach Hennessey’s Taverns, The Lighthouse Cafe in Hermosa, HT Grill Redondo and Rebel Republic Social House in Redondo.
“We opened our first restaurant in 1976, the very first Hennesseys. Our daughter Erin was a toddler and I worked at that restaurant for a short time and stopped because I wanted to be home with the kids,” she says.
Jennifer and Paul boast a beautiful gaggle of three grown girls and a bevy of six grandchildren. Daughters Erin, Devon and Shannon and grandchildren Aidan, Brendan, Ryan, Brody, Grayson and Ledger continue to bring their couple immeasurable joy every day, as does life on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
“We just love it. It wasn’t until the third restaurant that we were able to afford to move to the Peninsula but it was worth the wait,” says Jennifer. That was the beginning of their life in PV and neither one of them have looked back. “I love Palos Verdes and I love the people in Palos Verdes.” Their first home was in Rolling Hills Estates near Dapplegray Lane followed by a home in Rolling Hills behind the gates where they lived for 25 years and raised their three girls.
Paul remembers those early PV days as some of the very best.
“We moved to Palos Verdes and it was perfect. Best decision,” he says. “We moved to raise the kids there and they are like so many of the kids that grew up here. They’re kind of filtering back because it’s five minutes to the beach. It’s beautiful and it’s just a great place,” Hennessey says nostalgically. “We raised the kids in Rolling Hills. Dogs are running around, kids are running around. It’s so great. It’s so gorgeous you could be in Europe. There are peacocks, horses and in minutes you’re at the beach it’s spectacular. Honestly, it’s one of the most gorgeous places in the world.”
In 2007 the Hennessey’s left Rolling Hills and built a home in Lunada Bay which they eventually sold before moving into what Jennifer tells us is her “dream home”. Honestly, I fell in love with the Peninsula early on. Its people, its education system, everything. But the Queen’s Necklace view was something that I always wanted, and I finally got it,” she says delightedly, before explaining that this is the last move. Her final house. She also gratefully acknowledges that all of these homes are a direct result of the couple’s hard work and determination as a family.
“You have to be strong and stay strong, committed to fighting for things like marriage and family.” Although Paul is the well known entrepreneur, Jennifer also has an innovative spirit. From 1989 to 1997 Jennifer owned a store in Riviera Village called After Dinner and she came up with the unique concept for it. “After Dinner featured things you would do after dinner”, she tells us, “‘we had it all. I used to say, ‘from truffles to telescopes’!”
Philanthropy has been interwoven and invariably a huge part of her many years living on the Peninsula. “The girls were introduced to it early, many charities and philanthropies through the years. I really believe it’s the best education. They all learned so much from volunteering. All three of them learned how to do so many invaluable things from their volunteering.” Jennifer says.
In the years since, the Hennesseys have continued to nurture and stay committed to their home life. Life isn’t always perfect but it seems Jennifer’s strength and strong will is the glue that holds this family together. All of the Hennessey’s daughters live have moved back to the Peninsula and Jennifer also tells us that two of their grandsons, Aidan and Brendan both work at Hennesseys. It is a tight group and she runs a tight ship.
As the Hennessey family gets ready for a big family Christmas and all the hoopla that comes along with the holidays, she tells us, “It is amazing. I mean we are so lucky. We go on vacations and we all love to travel. We take the kids everywhere. (They’ve taken the extended family to Puerto Vallarta, Disney Cruise three times and Hawaii for many years for Thanksgiving.) We are just really close. Very close. We love being together. So we just pick up as a group and we get along really well. It’s loud. We are a loud bunch and it’s just such a great time to talk, and laugh and just enjoy each other,” she says. “I mean look where we are today. Look where we came from. I am really proud.”
Celebrating the magic of family and a life rooted in love and laughter and the hills of Palos Verdes, the Hennessey family legacy lives on.
