Leroy Howard Milton Haynes opened Gabby & Haynes, the first American restaurant in Paris, France in 1949.—Leroy was an All-American college football player at Morehouse College, earning the nickname “Roughhouse” for his playing style. He was initiated into Psi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi.
After graduate school, he joined the military and was stationed in Europe. During his tour of duty, he would frequent Paris and eventually fell in love with the city.
In 1949, Haynes opened Gabby & Haynes, the first American restaurant in Paris. He later reopened a second restaurant (Chez Haynes) in 1969. Chez Haynes, which featured African American soul food, was the epicenter of Black culture in Paris and exposed Paris to African American cuisine. Richard Wright and James Baldwin had their own small tables at Gabby and Haynes, and African American musicians and artists made frequent stops here and to Chez Haynes while visiting Paris. (Picture 6 is of Haynes and Cab Calloway).
Haynes passed away in 1986, but his wife Maria dos Santos kept running the restaurant until 2009 when it closed. The city of Paris renamed a portion of Rue Clauzel, the street Chez Haynes was located on, with an honorary Chez Haynes street sign.
