The story
Opened in 2008 by Memphis natives Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen remains a cornerstone of the city’s dining scene. The restaurant earned a Michelin Recommended distinction in 2026, recognition that speaks to the chefs’ steady hand and deeply personal approach to Italian-American cooking.
Ticer and Hudman trained at Johnson & Wales University and the Italian Culinary Institute in Calabria, then returned home to open a restaurant that marries Italian techniques with Southern ingredients and instincts. Their cooking is innovative yet grounded—rooted in tradition but never constrained by it. The result is a kitchen that feels both familiar and surprising, where the flavors of the Mississippi Delta meet the precision of Italian cucina.
The restaurant serves dinner Monday through Saturday, with a happy hour offered weekday afternoons. For those seeking something more spontaneous, the monthly WTF Wednesday event gives the chefs freedom to experiment: a four-course, off-menu dinner where guests don’t learn what they’ve eaten until the end, when they receive a handwritten, signed menu to take home. It’s a playful, trust-based experience that showcases the team’s creativity with seasonal ingredients.
Over the years, Ticer and Hudman have been recognized as Food & Wine Best New Chefs and multiple James Beard Award finalists. But Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen remains the place where their vision first took shape—a warm, polished dining room in East Memphis that feels both ambitious and at ease. The wine list, overseen by Ryan Radish, is worth exploring, and cocktails round out a carefully considered beverage program.
Whether you come for a classic dinner or the mystery of WTF Wednesday, the guiding principle is the same: Italian-American cooking that honors where it comes from, and who’s cooking it.
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