OBITUARIES : A. A. Rempp; Created Meat Tenderizer

Adolphe Alfred Rempp, creator of Adolph’s meat tenderizers and owner of several Los Angeles and San Francisco restaurants, died in his sleep at his home in Morro Bay, his wife said Wednesday. He was 77 and apparently suffered a heart attack while he slept Tuesday, said Leah Rempp.

Rempp, who was in the restaurant business for 55 years, was born in San Francisco, where he started his career as a chef.

Dissatisfied with conventional liquid meat tenderizers, Rempp developed his own powdered tenderizer in 1935, his wife said.

“Adolph’s tenderizer was much easier to use than the liquid ones,” she said. “Liquid tenderizers had a tendency to get all over the meat. Adolph’s powdered tenderizer was ideal because you could put it in a big shaker and apply just the right amount.”

Earned Millions

Rempp marketed his powdered “Adolph’s Meat Tenderizer” nationwide and earned millions.

He owned several restaurants in the Los Angeles area, including the Sunset House, the Thistle Inn and the Barrister’s Inn in Glendale. But his favorite was the Sailing Ship, an actual 1908 Danish ship, located on San Francisco’s Embarcadero, Rempp’s wife said.

“He bought the ship from a movie company that had bought the ship as a prop in a movie,” she said. “He brought the ship to San Francisco years ago and it’s still there today serving evening diners.”

Rempp retired from San Francisco to Morro Bay in January, 1987. Because of his life-long love of ships and the ocean, he will be cremated and buried at sea, his wife said.