G&G’s Hot List: 30 New Restaurants to Try Now

Garden & Gun, august / september 2025

“From a corner banquette inside Judith, the restaurant chef Julia Sullivan opened on the University of the South’s campus, wide windows frame stands of trees as afternoon sunlight illuminates white walls punctuated with estate-sale-sourced art. The simple elegance complements the sophisticated yet unfussy culinary approach she honed at her Nashville restaurant, Henrietta Red. Here in Sewanee, it shines in the crunch of paper-thin green apple and fennel slices studded with dried currants and white cheddar shreds; the velvet kiss of chicken-liver mousse on grilled sourdough; and the creamy zip of yogurt bringing balance to a smoked chicken quarter. Sullivan’s dad graduated from the university, and she named the restaurant in honor of the first woman to matriculate. “I wanted to highlight one of the community’s key moments,” Sullivan says, “because Judith is for this community.” —J. Kornegay”