Felicia Willett is the product of training from one of America’s pre-eminent culinary institutes and a southern heritage steeped in the love of food. She brought her talent, creativity and experience back to the Midsouth, to Memphis, in March of 2002 with the opening of her restaurant, "Felicia Suzanne's." Located in historic downtown Memphis, on the corner of Main and Monroe, the restaurant is just blocks from the Mississippi River. Her cuisine is distinctly American with Southern influences.

     A native of Jonesboro, Arkansas, Felicia grew up in a family where dining was considered an occasion and an opportunity to celebrate with her large group of extended family and friends. "I knew I wanted to be a chef from the time I was twelve years old,” Chef Felicia has often commented. "From my first cooking venture, making and selling 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 concern for hospitality is more than I could have hoped."

     Felicia’s culinary and business education began at the University of Memphis is where she received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Restaurant Management with a minor in Marketing. She continued her training at Johnston and Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina, where she graduated with 'Honors' in Culinary Arts. She began an internship with internationally acclaimed chef, Emeril Lagasse, in New Orleans, Louisiana.  As a result, it became a seven year career as Emeril’s assistant and then writer and producer for Food Network's "Essence of Emeril" and "Emeril Live" as well as Emeril's weekly segments on ABC's "Good Morning America." Chef Felicia also co-authored two of the best selling cookbooks of all times: "Every Day's a Party" and Emeril's TV Dinners."

     Chef Felicia's philosophy of food is evident in every dish she serves. She changes her menu seasonally to insure the freshest ingredients available and to take advantage of the region’s abundant offerings: Tennessee tomatoes, Arkansas peaches, Mississippi catfish, Louisiana crawfish and seafood from the Gulf. Her food choices also come from other parts of the country. She has salmon and halibut flown in daily when in season. She utilizes local farmers as purveyors for quail, pork and grain. Her 'test kitchen' is at work on an on-going basis creating new dishes and honoring familiar favorites.