photograph by michael donahue
Felicia Willett-Schuchardt
The signature deviled eggs at Felicia Suzanne’s restaurant pay homage to owner Felicia Willett-Schuchardt’s grandmother, Lovis Downing, who filled many an egg in her Jonesboro, Arkansas kitchen.
“Being raised in my grandmother’s kitchen, that was always the go-to appetizer,” Willett-Schuchardt says. “It was so easy. It was as just eggs and mayonnaise and what she decided to flavor them with. They were at every Southern table, whether it was a church get-together or a family Sunday dinner. I think it’s just quintessential Southern.”
And, she says, the eggs are “so refreshing, especially on a hot day when they’re ice cold.”
Her mother also had a signature appetizer, which she served at Christmas. “She would smoke her salmon and then layer it with egg salad and green onions and caviar on toast points.”
Willett-Schuchardt married the two family appetizers when she opened Felicia Suzanne’s Downtown on the Main Street Mall on March 22, 2002. She smoked the salmon belly meat trimmings from the restaurant’s salmon entree and used it in her deviled eggs, which she garnished with caviar.
“The name was just kind of an inspiration,” she says. “Kind of a little tribute to my mom, Suzanne. My middle name is ‘Suzanne.’ That’s why the restaurant is ‘Felicia Suzanne’s.’”
The salmon/caviar eggs have been on the menu since day one. Willett-Schuchardt came up with the bacon deviled eggs when she was catering a party and the host’s husband couldn’t eat salmon.
“We had leftover bacon from the bacon, lettuce, and tomato salad, so I just diced up the bacon and folded the bacon in instead of the salmon,” she says. “I garnish those with hot sauce and green onions.”
She came up with the third deviled egg combination five years later. She folds in fresh lump crabmeat and tops it with pickled sweet-and-spicy jalapeños. “It just adds a little touch. It doesn’t overpower the eggs.”
And, Willett-Schuchardt says, “I use homemade mayonnaise and fresh farm eggs from Marmilu Farms. And I use grapeseed oil in my mayonnaise. I love mayonnaise — it’s the condiment of the South.”
She has added olives and created other deviled eggs over the years, but, she says, “If I change those up too much I might have an issue with my customers.”
The “Egg Trio” came about because people couldn’t decide which deviled egg they wanted. “An appetizer. Six halves. Still, to this day, six halves. Two of the bacon, two of the salmon, and two of the fresh lump crab from the Gulf.”
“I know what I want and I know what I like. Memphis is so blessed. We have a lot of great restaurants. If my restaurant isn’t your bag of tea, you can go down the street and hit 12 of us between here and G.E. Patterson.”
As for their popularity, she says, “I must say, the deviled eggs pay the rent.”
Willett-Schuchardt, who went to culinary school at Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina, worked for eight years for famed chef Emeril Lagasse in New Orleans. “He’s the only chef I ever worked for. I went from college to culinary school to his kitchen in New Orleans. And I left New Orleans to open Felicia Suzanne’s.”
She knew she wanted an upscale restaurant. “I’ve got a good quality product and my pricing reflects that,” she says. “Higher food costs because of the type of products I buy. I’m paying $6.50 for a dozen eggs. I only buy crab meat from the Gulf.”
Willett-Schuchardt grew up knowing about the legendary fine dining restaurants of Memphis. “My parents came over to Memphis and ate at the Four Flames and Justine’s. By 2002 those iconic restaurants were shut down. I really appreciate the history and longevity of those restaurants. There’s something about longevity in the restaurant business. You’ve definitely got to have a passion for what you do and a level of excellence if you’re going to do it daily.”
And, she says, “I know what I want and I know what I like. Memphis is so blessed. We have a lot of great restaurants. If my restaurant isn’t your bag of tea, you can go down the street and hit 12 of us between here and G.E. Patterson.”
Felicia Suzanne’s is located at 80 Monroe Avenue (the entrance is on Main Street between Madison and Monroe); 901-523-0877.
