Felicia Suzanne Willett has always had a love for food and believes in living to eat rather than eating to live. She brought this joy of food to historic downtown Memphis in 2002 when she opened Felicia Suzanne’s restaurant on the corner of Main and Monroe. Felicia Suzanne’s has been described as “Delicious Simplicity in an Elegant Atmosphere.” The restaurant offers an intimate setting as if you were in Felicia’s home with attention to every detail blending a young, contemporary feel with classic Southern charm and tradition. Her cuisine is influenced by the four Southern cities in which she’s lived and the back roads connecting them: Jonesboro, Memphis, Charleston, and New Orleans.
Since opening Felicia Suzanne’s, Felicia has been dedicated to supporting local business and causes just as her role models, Thomas Boggs and Nick Vergos, had been doing for years. She feels fortunate that she is able to use her love for food to support and give back to the local community. Children’s charities hold a special place in her heart, and she actively supports Make-A-Wish Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center along with many other charities throughout the city and the Mid-South.
As the owner, operator, and executive chef of Felicia Suzanne’s, Felicia is committed to buying as many organic, locally-grown products from the region’s farmers as possible and shops the Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning for products for the restaurant for the week. These fresh ingredients have helped her shape Felicia Suzanne’s menu with items such as the Neola Farms Braised Short Rib Grilled Cheese.
Growing up not far from Memphis in Jonesboro, Arkansas, Felicia dreamed of becoming a chef and opening her own restaurant since she was just twelve years old. "From my first cooking venture, making and elling cheesecakes to my mother's friends for a little extra Christmas money, I knew that one day I wanted to have my own restaurant. The fact that my dream has come true in a city so rich in southern culture and attention to hospitality is more than I could have hoped."
Felicia started her professional journey toward being a chef and restaurateur as a Memphis Tiger, receiving her Bachelor of Science Degree in Restaurant Management with a minor in Marketing from the University of Memphis. She then continued her training at Johnston and Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina, where she graduated with honors in Culinary Arts.
After graduating, she began an internship with internationally acclaimed chef, Emeril Lagasse, in New Orleans. Felicia continued her career as Emeril’s assistant for seven more years, becoming writer and producer for Food Network's Essence of Emeril and Emeril Live. She also produced Emeril's weekly segments on ABC's Good Morning America and co-authored two best-selling cookbooks: Every Day's a Party and Emeril's TV Dinners.
Felicia wanted to bring her experience back closer to her roots and has always loved Memphis. She chose to open Felicia Suzanne’s in historic downtown Memphis because she believes in the downtown experience and the continued growth and revitalization of the area. She lives downtown and loves the idea of being able to walk to work and shop locally. Felicia is always trying to think of new ways to help downtown businesses. In 2009, Felicia co-founded Downtown Dining Week to attract customers to downtown restaurants. The initiative was so successful that Downtown Dining Week will become an annual event.
Felicia also wants to help sustain the community by reducing the restaurant’s environmental impact and was certified in the Summer of 2010 with Project Green Fork for having sustainable products, setting up a recycling program, kitchen composting, replacing toxic cleaners with non-toxic cleaners, completing an energy audit and taking the necessary steps to reduce energy and water consumption, and preventing pollution.
Felicia feels fortunate to have support from the local community and loyal customers who share and appreciate her ideals. It is this support that has been the cornerstone of her success. Felicia was recognized for her outstanding achievements in 2007 by the Memphis Business Journal as one of the Top 40 Under 40. “Felicia Suzanne”—as she has now come to be known in Memphis—participates in organizations committed to the betterment of Memphis and the advancement of downtown such as the Downtown Neighborhood Association, South Main Association and Memphis Restaurant Association. She is also a member of the prestigious James Beard Foundation, an organization that values America’s culinary heritage and diversity.
