Throughout his many years of association with La Peña, Hugo Brenni was, in numerous ways, its heart and soul personified. Whether he was creating a new recipe in the kitchen, playing the bombo in the cultural room, or simply enjoying a glass of wine with a customer, many of whom became his friends, Hugo possessed and displayed extraordinary gifts of empathy and generosity.

Hugo came to the Bay Area in 1958 as a 19 year old immigrant from Chile. He worked for years driving a laundry delivery truck until being hired to work in a restaurant in North Beach. From then on he dedicated himself to learning culinary skills that would allow him to establish his own business. All along he remained deeply involved with the Chilean community in the Bay area, and not surprisingly, specialized in Chilean cuisine.

Around the time of the election of Salvador Allende in 1970, Hugo became increasingly concerned about the political situation in Chile and aligned himself with the Unidad Popular government. By the fall of 1972 he was fully committed to the Solidarity movement against U.S. intervention.

La Peña would not have come about without Hugo’s culinary expertise and good will. As a co-founder and father with young children, he made many sacrifices for La Peña in the early years when he volunteered countless hours while holding down a full time job elsewhere. Throughout the decades, Hugo could be counted on to help keep La Peña thriving. His sense of pride in the Center’s community, cultural bridge building was always palpable.

After retirement Hugo returned to his native Chile and settled in rural Chiloe where he died in 2013. On his regular visits back to the Bay Area, he continued to participate in La Peña’s contemporary, internal debates.