Michael Hudman & Andrew Ticer

Since bringing locally sourced Italian cuisine to Brookhaven Circle in 2008, Hudman and Ticer — Memphis natives and lifelong friends — continue to innovate and inspire with their sustainable approach to food. Three years after opening Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen in 2008, the chefs introduced Hog & Hominy across the street, a more casual venue for specialty cocktails and wood-fired pizzas. In 2015, they launched Porcellino’s Craft Butcher, a hybrid restaurant and market offering shared plates, a coffee and cocktail bar, and a butcher shop selling charcuterie and responsibly raised meat. In 2016, the duo opened two more restaurants: Catherine & Mary’s, named after each of their grandmothers, in Downtown Memphis, and Josephine Estelle New Orleans, in NOLA’s Ace Hotel. Most recently, Hudman and Ticer have opened their new wood-fire and raw bar concept, The Gray Canary, in Memphis’ Old Dominick Distillery. They have also penned a debut cookbook, Collards & Carbonara, and been nominated for multiple James Beard awards, including finalist nominations for Best Chef: Southeast in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.