Born and bred Memphians, Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman opened Andrew Michael Italian
Kitchen in 2008 to feature innovative Italian cooking rooted in Southern tradition. The Chefs
trained at Johnson and Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina and the Italian Culinary
Institute in Calabria, Italy.
Their second restaurant, Hog & Hominy, is a wood burning,
neighborhood eatery and was named one of the top new restaurants by GQ Magazine,
Southern Living, and Bon Appetit as well as a semi-finalist for Best New Restaurant from the
James Beard Foundation, which also named the chefs semi-finalists for the Best Chef:
Southeast award for three consecutive years during 2012-2014, and a finalist for the award in
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. In 2013, they were awarded Food & Wine Magazine’s Best
New Chefs Award and named in Starchefs.com’s 2014 Kentucky-Tennessee Rising Star Chefs.
On January 9, 2020, Hog & Hominy suffered a fire resulting in closure of the restaurant. After a
thorough period of redesign and construction, Hog & Hominy reopened on November 3, 2021.
Catherine & Mary’s, opened in September of 2016 in Downtown Memphis, brought together
their blend of grandmother cooking, Italian philosophy of dining, and southern ingredients to the
heart of the city.
They started the Andrew Michael Foundation last year to help organize how the company can give back to our community. Ticer said. “For the charity, we wanted to do something locally to help provide kids in Memphis with nutritional meals. The Healthy Pantry program through the Mid-South Food Bank does that, and we’re so thrilled to use these dinners to help support it.”
Restaurant group rooted in Italian Southern food inspired by both of our grandmothers.
2008
It has been an amazing journey being an entrepreneur and I feel extremely lucky to be my own boss, and work with my best friend. Being an entrepreneur is what makes our country so amazing and being able to share our vision of food and hospitality is a true gift and dream come true.
