Collards & Carbonara Southern Cooking, Italian Roots

The first book from Memphis-based Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman, named as two of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs 2013.

Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman each grew up in extended Italian families in Memphis, Tennessee. Food Played a central role in both of their young lives, sparking in them both a passion for cooking and a joint career path. In this, their debut cookbook, these friends, chefs, and restauranteurs present a culmination of their lifelong obsessions, blending traditional southern ingredients with classic Italian techniques for a truly unique style of cooking.

Through 100 recipes and dozens of full-color photographs, Andrew and Michael share their unique culinary point of view with the home cook, translating the most popular recipes from their two Memphis restaurants, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen and Hog & Hominy, into dishes you can make in your own kitchen. With a delightful mixture of humor, insight, and reverence for their mentors and others who have inspired them throughout their journey, this book will forever change the way you think of fusion cuisine.

Selected recipes include:
-Fried Green Tomatoes, Blue Crab & Bacon Jam
-Spinach-Ricotta Gnudi with Marinara & Ricotta Salata
-Butternut Squash Agnolotti with Crab & Apple
-Duck leg Confit with Fall Sugo
-Brussel Sprouts with Speck, Tomato & Bacon-Chili Jam
-Southern-Style Collard Greens
-Pecan-Pumpkin Pie

Close friends since childhood, Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman both come from big Italian families in Memphis. After college, they attended culinary school at Johnson and Wales University in Charleston, SC. After two years on the coast, they moved back to Memphis to apprentice under a French Master Chef for 18 months. Later, they enrolled at the Italian Culinary Institute in Calabria, Italy. On October 31, 2008 Andrew Michael Italian kitchen opened its doors to the public for the first time. In July of 2012, they opened their second restaurant, Hog & Hominy, a casual dining companion to fine-dining Andrew Michael across the street.