Hi, Felicia! Long-awaited restaurant reopens in South Main Arts District
Felicia Suzanne’s will reopen at 383 S. Main St. on Tuesday, April 15. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
After being closed for more than three years, Felicia Suzanne’s is set to reopen at its new home in the South Main Arts District on Tuesday, April 15.
The 6,000-square-foot restaurant at 383 S. Main St. includes two bar areas, a main dining room, a private dining room and two patios.
Owner and executive chef Felicia Willett-Schuchardt and her husband, Clay Schuchardt, said they are excited to open their new restaurant in the neighborhood they call home.
“It’s been a long journey, and we can’t thank you enough for your patience and support,” the restaurant posted to social media Wednesday, April 9. “After much anticipation, we’re thrilled to welcome you back to our freshly revamped space in Downtown Memphis.”
In September 2021, the restaurant announced it would be leaving its Monroe Avenue home of more than 20 years and relocating to 383-385 S. Main St.
Willett-Schuchardt said the menu at the new restaurant will feature all of the diners’ old favorites plus new dishes as she expands beyond just Southern Low Country fare to “American” cuisine.
Former regular patrons will be happy to learn that two of Willett-Schuchardt’s signature (and most beloved) dishes are also on the new menu.
Her Oysters of Love — crispy Gulf oysters in a New Orleans barbecue sauce — is a nod to her New Orleans influences. Her smoked salmon deviled eggs start with her grandmother’s recipe. Both were must-orders at the original restaurant.
The former Spindini space on South Main has been transformed into a restaurant that feels more intimate than the original Felicia Suzanne’s and includes a private dining room as well as a chef’s table in the kitchen.
Memphis design firm Collect + Curate served as the lead designers and project managers.
Willett-Schuchardt dreamed of owning a restaurant since she was a child.
“Cooking came very naturally to me, and I was good at it. I loved experimenting with recipes,” she said in an interview several years ago.
In March 2002, her dream came true when she opened Felicia Suzanne’s in Downtown Memphis at 80 Monroe Ave. in the historic Brinkley Plaza.
At the original Felicia Suzanne’s, you would find Southern fare inspired by Willett-Schuchardt’s childhood in Arkansas and the time she spent in New Orleans.
A graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina, Felicia honed her culinary skills under the legendary Chef Emeril Lagasse during an eight-year tenure in New Orleans.
In addition to the new restaurant, an adjoining to-go and retail shop called Flo’s is expected to open later this year.
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Felicia Suzanne's Felicia WillettJennifer Chandler
A cookbook author and former restaurateur, Jennifer Chandler has been writing about food and dining for more than 25 years.
She is the author of four cookbooks: “The Southern Pantry Cookbook,” “Simply Salads,” “Simply Suppers,” and “Simply Grilling.” While she boasts a degree from Le Cordon Bleu, this Memphis native is about making real food accessible for real families.
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