WINTER 2020 Italian American Digest PAGE 6
New Book Remembers ' Diamond
Marilyn Monroe famously sang that diamonds are a girl ’ s best friend , but the precious stones never had a bigger fan than “ Diamond Jim ” Moran .
To the flamboyant New Orleans restaurateur and raconteur , diamonds were a sign of success . It ’ s the reason he wore them not just on his fingers but in his teeth , eyeglasses , neckties , zipper , belt buckles , shoelaces , cuff links , cane — even his toupee . Today , we ’ d call him the king of bling .
New York may have had Diamond Jim Brady , known for his big carats and even bigger appetite , but our Diamond Jim loved showing off his glittering gems so much , he hid diamonds in his restaurant ’ s meatballs as a marketing gimmick .
A French Quarter icon from the 1930s through the 1950s , Moran was restaurant royalty . A new book by Bobby Brocato Jr ., Diamond Jim ’ s grandson , is titled “ Food for Kings : Diamond Jim — A New Orleans Legend .” It ’ s part family album , part cookbook and , as Brocato calls it , a nonfiction novel , featuring stories handed down through generations . The title comes from the name of Moran ’ s original restaurant at 809 St . Louis St .: Jimmy Moran ’ s Food for Kings . The owner had nothing close to royal lineage . Born James Brocato in 1895 , he was the son of Italian immigrants who , like many others , settled in the French Quarter near the turn of the 20th century . His father , Nunzio , died of yellow fever when James was just 7 . The young boy shined shoes and took up boxing to make extra money .
Jim ' Moran
By : Dominic Massa // Originally published by WWL-TV
Family legend says he borrowed the surname of a fellow fighter , Pal Moran
Diamond Jim Moran shows off his " pricey grill " Source : Bobby Brocato Jr .
( who it turns out was also an Italian boxing under an Irish name ), so that Brocato ’ s mother Maria wouldn ’ t know about his exploits . The name would stay with him for life .
In the 1920s , Moran opened a French Quarter barbershop . He befriended Robert Maestri , the Italian American mayor of New Orleans , and Gov . Huey P . Long . In the book , Brocato writes that his grandfather was a bodyguard for Long , cooked for him and was in his entourage at the State Capitol when Long was assassinated in 1935 .
During Prohibition , Moran opened a speakeasy on Common Street . In 1930 , federal agents raided the club and arrested him for selling liquor . He served time in an Atlanta prison .
It wasn ’ t his only brush with the law , or with those who skirted it . Moran made money in the slot machine business and became friends with mob figures Al Capone , Frank Costello , Lucky Luciano , Dandy Phil Kastel and
Carlos Marcello . In his book , Brocato doesn ’ t gloss over this part of the family history , writing that the men would travel to Moran ’ s Lake Pontchartrain camp four times a year for fishing , hunting and good times .
In 1951 , Moran was called before a congressional committee investigating organized crime . He testified at one of the hearings convened by Sen . Estes Kefauver in New Orleans .
The story goes that when he arrived at the hearing in full diamond-encrusted wardrobe , his attorney Monk Zelden suggested he remove the bling . Diamond
Jim asked whether the testimony would be televised . When the answer was yes , his response was , “ Well , the ice stays .”
Moran went on to answer Kefauver ’ s questions , then suggested the senator come fish or hunt at his camp some time . When Moran died , his name was entered into the Congressional Record and Kefauver called him a “ dear friend ,” adding , “ Diamond Jim represented the American dream . He was truly a gem of all the people .”
Syndicated newspaper columnist Robert Ruark once wrote of Moran , “ So what if he knew Capone and Costello ? He also knew Truman .” Moran ’ s customers did indeed include the famous and the infamous .
Actors , actresses , athletes and singers all frequented his restaurants : Marilyn Monroe , Joe DiMaggio , Jimmy Durante , Jack Dempsey , Liberace , Don Ameche , Abbott and Costello , Barbara Stanwyck and Johnny Carson , to name a few .
The star power glittered almost as much as the diamonds in Moran ’ s