JANICE MARIE BEESON

1945-2021

January 4, 1945March 12, 2021

Janice Beeson, the proud owner of Arno’s, was a visionary in the restaurant industry in the early ‘70’s. Janice was the rare female to offer fine dining in that era and widened Houstonian’s culinary experience to include a new first - Northern Italian cuisine.

A native Texan and graduate of Bellaire High School, Janice was introduced to the restaurant industry by working as a waitress, and ultimately as an assistant manager, at The Bowery in Old Market Square. Under the tutelage of Ernie and Spiro Criezis, Janice flourished and recognized that the restaurant bug had bitten. She became determined to open her own place. After conscientiously squirreling away her tip money for years, she stumbled upon a small space in a nondescript strip center in Bellaire and jumped at the chance to realize her dream. Arno’s was born.

With this five foot powerhouse at the helm, Arno’s quickly became everyone’s ‘discovery’, necessitating the need to call ahead a week in advance to secure a table in this small exclusive spot, and also to reserve an order of the infamous mussels, a constant sell-out. Arno’s ambience and menu were unpretentious, but Janice’s demand for perfection in her hand-made pastas and flown-in fresh seafood singled it out among it’s peers.

In the early ‘80’s, Janice moved Arno’s to a rehabbed mansion on Montrose and was able to enhance the experience of the active bar and restaurant crowd by being an early and ardent supporter of the local music scene. Sharon Montgomery, Billy Stritch and Sally Mayes established a life-long audience through their performances there. A calamitous fire in the kitchen precipitated Arno’s closing.

A catering company in Austin and a restaurant in Cuernavaca, Mexico followed, but Janice missed her Texas roots and longed to return to the Houston restaurant scene. Upon her return, she was hired as the manager at the Daily Review, a successful bistro established by Claire Smith. Three years later, she was able to purchase the Daily Review from Claire and continue to build on its’ success. As always, she brought along the music, providing a home base for years for the wonderful talent of Mood Indigo (Susan Elliott and Joe Romano). An unfortunate fall in her home kitchen began a domino of health issues that prompted the closing of the Daily Review.

Mama Janice, as her employees called her, cracked the glass ceiling for women in Houston’s restaurant industry, and accomplished that feat with style, grace, hospitality and an unending desire to create a warm and memorable dining experience for everyone. She was one of a kind.

Janice Marie Beeson passed away on March 12, 2021, from the ravages of Parkinson’s disease. For the last several years, Janice was lovingly cared for in Lake Charles by her cousin, James Pumpelly. Other family members mourning her loss are her sisters, Jeanne Dyer (J.R.), Joyce Beeson, nephew Joel Dyer, nieces Marilyn Judd and Melissa Gonzales, and numerous other relatives and friends. A celebration party of her life accomplishments will be held at 3:00 P.M., Saturday, April 10, 2021 at The Parador, 2021 Binz. In lieu of flowers and keeping with Janice’s love of the restaurant industry, it’s workers whom she considered her family, a fitting donation, if desired, should be made to the Southern Smoke Foundation, assisting those in an industry decimated by the pandemic. www.southernsmoke.org.