Chloe Wright
Junior Editor
Sewanee’s newest restaurant, Judith, will celebrate its deep roots in The University of the South, from the name belonging to the first woman to matriculate at Sewanee to the head chef’s inspiration of opening the restaurant, all with the student experience in mind.
Nestled at the edge of the woods by 36 Ball Park Road, the site location for Judith has been teeming, in recent weeks, with construction workers and planners renovating the building. Its mastermind, Chef Julia Sullivan, introduced her vision for the restaurant: a bar space alongside the dining room with vegan leather banquette seating, all contributing to a warm, friendly environment. “One of the things I love about this old building are these big, beautiful, open windows,” she said while leading me into the dining room. The windows have been left untouched, offering the dining room a natural glow. “Trying to preserve as much of the original character of the building is an interesting, fun piece of Sewanee’s history.”
The Nashville native’s path to a village as small and remote as Sewanee might seem unlikely. Trained at the renowned Culinary Institute of America, she worked at prestigious restaurants on the East Coast before opening her Nashville restaurant in 2017. She quickly won accolades, with her Henrietta Red being named one of America’s 50 Best New Restaurants by Bon Appetit in 2017 and one of GQ magazine’s Best New Restaurants in America 2018. Also in 2018, Food and Wine named Sullivan one of the country’s Best New Chefs, and she also was recognized as a 2019 semifinalist and a 2020 finalist in the James Beard Foundation Awards Best Chef: Southeast category.
Yet Sullivan told me that coming to Sewanee has felt like it was meant to be. Nashville’s restaurant industry has become oversaturated and the Mountain beckoned because it’s a place she’s known from childhood.
“Since the pandemic, I’ve really been doing some hard thinking about where I saw myself going next. If I was going to take another opportunity, it had to feel right,” she said. “Sewanee is an area that I have loved for a long time. My Dad was in the class of ‘69.”
During her childhood, the Sullivans would visit friends and family. Her godfather was Sewanee professor Andrew Lytle, the noted writer and editor of The Sewanee Review. “It became a special place during my childhood, but it was one that we fell out of touch with as we got older. Sewanee was always a place where I’d drive up to on a weekend and take my dogs hiking.”
When a friend sent her information about the vacant building where Judith is under construction– originally a laundry and more recently a succession of well-loved restaurants – Sullivan said it felt like fate. “Just through connecting with the University, their interest in having a restaurant and my interest with opening one there were both coming from a heart-centered place. I decided to go for it.”
From the start, Sullivan said, creating a menu that includes appealing offerings for Sewanee students has been an important focus. She has hopes for the restaurant not only to serve as a gathering place for alumni or prospective students and their families, but also a venue where students feel comfortable. “We’ll achieve that on the affordability spectrum by making a nice, ample menu of snacks and shared items that can be enjoyed if you’re not planning to have a sit-down, three-course dinner.”
“Besides our appetizer, entrée, and dessert options, we’ll also lean into some more classic, tavern-style items like burgers,” she said. “We’d like to make our desserts available for walk-up, so if you’re a student who’s studying or need a break or outing with friends and you don’t want to invest a whole evening or a certain amount of money, you can come down, get an ice cream, and walk back to campus.”
To further support the student and faculty community, Sullivan and her team have prepared part of the building to host space in the building for weddings, galleries, and student events. “We’re planning for this space to be like a white box, so if you’re renting it out for an event, you can do whatever you want with it,” she said. “The restaurant and bar will provide catering.”
What does the woman who started it all think? Judith “Judy” Lineback (C’ 73) spoke to The Purple about her reaction to Sullivan’s team requesting to use her name. “I was very surprised but also honored,” she said. “Sullivan found out I was the first woman to matriculate at Sewanee, so she got in touch with me by email, and we talked for a little while.”
The people in her class year were just as excited to hear the news. “Several of my girl friends from Sewanee texted right away,” she said. Lineback plans to make an appearance for the restaurant’s opening.
Though Sullivan and her team have not announced an opening date, she said the debut of Judith is being planned for November. Follow the Instagram account @judith.tavern for updates.