Andy Little came to Nashville in 2013 by way of central Pennsylvania where he grew up on traditional Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. After realizing “orchestral musician” was not his career path, Little took up a server position to pay his way through school and discovered his love of the restaurant kitchen.

Little graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and began his rising career in the industry first working under Patrick O’Connell at The Inn at Little Washington before a stint at Pennsylvania’s Evermay-on-the-Delaware, which eventually led him back to his hometown to spearhead the fine dining restaurant at The Sheppard Mansion. Now a 2017 and 2018 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef Southeast, Little helms the kitchen at popular restaurant Josephine, where Pennsylvania Dutch roots meet Southern hospitality for a distinct and thoughtful experience beloved by guests.

The son of two teachers, Little is a life-long, passionate student and hands-on mentor of the culinary arts. Guided by the principles of conservation at a kitchen level, he relies on recipes rooted in the shared agrarian traditions of Pennsylvania Dutch and Southern cuisines—as well as curiosity and innovation—to preserve every animal organ and fruit rind, transforming humble ingredients into memorable dishes that are coherent and full of flavor. Little’s storytelling approach to food makes his cooking personal, and by paying deference to those who raise his cattle and plow the fields where his ingredients are grown, Little puts much of himself into every course.