Tisha and Duane Martin have placed their eldest son’s name on something valuable: a restaurant. The couple recently opened their own fine dining experience in the San Fernando Valley, and chose to name it after their 11-year-old son Xen.
“We didn’t tell him right away, but I remember the day I did tell him and said you know we have a restaurant now. He said, ‘We do?’ and I said yes you know what it’s called? Xen,” said Duane. The actor’s wife also chimed in on Xen’s reaction saying, “If you could have seen the look in his eyes. It was like, ‘Really? That’s me dad?’ and he just hugged Duane. He was so happy. Now he can’t stop telling everyone he has a restaurant,” exclaimed the actress.
Both Tisha and Duane contribute to the restaurant’s upbringing with Tisha hosting and Duane coming up with menu ideas. Duane’s latest concept was in the dessert department and is popular among guests. “My idea for one of the desserts was inspired by the bread pudding with caramel sauce that Denzel [Washington] and I used to order at this popular restaurant in Studio City where we’d hang out and talk about this,” said Martin. “I came up with a red velvet bread pudding. Many people love red velvet cake and all it is is food coloring. We puree raspberries and lemons to add the coloring to the bread pudding and it’s a hit,” explained the actor.
Duane and Tisha have two children: Xen and Ezekiel. They have been married for over a decade.
