Sherry was born in St. Albans, Vermont, to parents of French-Canadian descent. Certain reports cite an early experience as a hotel busboy in Montreal, Canada. He eventually moved to New York City, and quickly made a name for himself in the restaurant business at the Hotel Brunswick and then as restaurant manager at the Hotel Elberon.
Businesses
Restaurants
Around 1880, with $1,300 saved from his time at the Hotel Elberon, Sherry launched his first restaurant in New York City at 38th Street and Sixth Avenue. The new establishment struggled a bit at first, but Sherry's knack for "dainty decorations" and the "novelties of service" won a following from "The Four Hundred". In a short time, Sherry upgraded to a larger location at 37th Street and Fifth Avenue. But even that location proved too small, and again the business upgraded to 44th Street and Fifth Avenue.
Confections
In 1919, with the advent of Prohibition, Sherry announced the closure of his restaurant and ballroom which "for a generation been the scene of some of New York's most brilliant social gatherings." In place of the restaurant, Sherry immediately established Louis Sherry Inc., with a capitalization of $400,000, and the intent of performing "catering and the manufacture and sale of candies and pastries". He opened a new shop at 58th Street and Fifth Avenue for this business, and announced an "alliance" with the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel that involved both his candies and catering services. Although it was not disclosed at that time, at some point ownership of Louis Sherry Inc. was significantly vested in "Boomer-duPont interests".
Sherry-Netherland Hotel
Although it bears his name, it does not seem that Louis Sherry was personally involved in the landmark Sherry-Netherland Hotel. The "old" Netherland Hotel, originally built around 1892 for William Waldorf Astor, was acquired in 1924 by Frederick Brown, "an operator, be remodeled into stores and apartments". It was not until March 1927 that the almost-complete "new" Netherland was acquired by Louis Sherry Inc.. By that time the company was controlled by Boomer and du Pont through their "Boomer-du Pont Properties Corporation", which also owned the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
