Chef Theresa Schuenke
Location
Memphis, TN
Restaurant
Fawn/Cameo
Theresa Schuenke, known for her signature “schmommy” style—a nostalgic blend of maternal warmth and refined technique—leads the kitchen at Fawn in Cooper‑Young, Memphis. Raised near Milwaukee, she began cooking early to feed her family, inspired by her mother’s comforting pot roast and classic lasagna. A psychology major in college, she soon found her true calling in the culinary arts and worked her way from server to chef in kitchens across Milwaukee, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, and back to Milwaukee, where she served as chef de cuisine at Goodkind.
At Fawn, Schuenke brings a fresh new‑American approach to small‑plate, farm‑to‑table dining, emphasizing local sourcing and seasonal ingredients. Her cooking draws on diverse culinary traditions—from Middle Eastern to Spanish tapas and Southern Creole—while embodying the communal spirit of Sunday supper at her grandmother’s table. Today, she shapes both menu and atmosphere at Fawn to feel warm, cozy, and evocative of “meadow school.”
Read more at Memphis Flyer.
