This article was originally written for the fifth issue in the Advent 2025 semester of The Sewanee Purple and has been reproduced digitally.
Ginna Allen
News Editor
On Nov. 3, 2025, Sewanee’s very own Judith and Lunch were among 36 Tennessee restaurants recognized in the Michelin’s Guide to the American South. With this honor, both restaurants are recognized for their quality of the ingredients used, mastery of flavour and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef in their cuisine, value for money and consistency between visits by anonymous inspectors. An official ceremony was held in Greenville, North Carolina, to celebrate those featured in the guide, with staff from Judith and Lunch in attendance.
The recognition put Sewanee on the map as the smallest community in Tennessee with not one but two recognized restaurants, a category that included a total of 24 across the state. An additional 14 restaurants received notice as one-star, two- star, green-star ratings or a special sommelier award. The full list of the 36 honored Tennessee restaurants is available on the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development website.
Judith’s head chef Julia Sullivan said this achievement is an exciting step for her restaurant. “For us, it’s recognition that we’re making good food, good service, good quality, consistency and also that they are encouraging people to come up to Sewanee to see us. That’s really exciting for us and for the area,” Sullivan said.
This recognition comes at the culmination of Judith’s success this past year, with the restaurant’s one year anniversary approaching on Nov. 29. For Sullivan, this award adds an enduring confidence to Judith’s future.
“We’ve had a really great year, so it’s nice for this recognition to come right at the end of our first year. I just want to keep seeing our restaurant grow. We are busy, but a lot of our business revolves around the school community, and so I think the Michelin guide is great because it encourages tourism and will keep bringing people to the area to support the local businesses and the local economy. I’d love to continue to see our business grow with the same quality and consistency and great product that we’ve provided so far this year.”
Partnered with celebration of Judith’s cuisine, Sullivan appreciates the staff at Judith for their role in the restaurant’s success: “I’ve had a lot of outreach from folks that are just super excited and proud of us, and of course we are so proud of our staff. We employed about 25 people, including community members and students, so I think it’s really cool for everybody to have recognition that we’re doing such a good job because everybody’s been working hard and we really love the restaurant.”
Lunch, another Sewanee restaurant on Michelin’s recommended list, is a short walk away from Judith’s. Lunch’s owner and head chef, Mallory Grimm (C ’15), is grateful for the selection by Michelin and its celebration of the hard work put in by her staff and the local farmers featured on Lunch’s farm-to-table menu.
“Being included in the guide is really special to us just from a standpoint of being really proud of all the hard work of our staff and all the hard work being put in, as well as all the beautiful stuff we get from our local farmers and producers that put so much into making us a success. That’s just been really integral for us and really important and rewarding to work with everyone locally and build a staff and work alongside them. It’s really special to share it with them,” Grimm said.
Grimm and her husband were able to attend the ceremony held in Greenville. There, they enjoyed conversation with other restaurant owners, chefs, and people passionate about culinary arts. “It was really special to be there with a lot of chefs that I look up to, and also with the owners and chefs of some of our favorite restaurants where Trapp and I have had really special dinners and experiences. It was really exciting to see the list and to be there.”
For Lunch’s staff, the recognition is “culmination of a lot of hard work,” Grimm said. “Our staff knew that we were in the list of recommended restaurants, and everyone was really excited about that. I hope they feel proud, they should feel really proud.”
Approaching her restaurant’s third year, Grimm said she hopes to continue with the same vision she has had since the beginning. “I just want to serve our community and support as many farmers as we can. Our day to day operations and cooking and making our menu each week has been something I’m super passionate about, and it feels most rewarding to me. Working with my husband and working with our staff is my favorite part of Lunch. I just want to keep working hard and the recognition feels really affirming that we’re running a restaurant in the right way and prioritizing the right things. I’m just really grateful to be able to do it and I have fun working every day.”
Michelin’s announcement to debut the Guide to the American South came this past April, with it featuring restaurants hailing from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia.
“We are excited to embark on this new journey for The Michelin Guide as this will be the first time since the Guide’s North American debut in 2005 that we are launching a regional selection,” said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guides. “The cuisine of the American South is a unique product of diverse influences creating an iconic array of specialties prepared by proud and impressive culinary talent.”