Chef Ryan Trimm was born in Pittsburgh, PA, and spent the majority of his early childhood in Southern California. He moved to Memphis at the age of twelve and stayed here through graduation from Christian Brothers High School in 1998. Ryan went on to study English and Business at Ole Miss. During college, he discovered his love for cooking.
He worked in his first fine dining restaurant the summer after his freshman year. Ryan worked at The Carlton Restaurant in Pittsburgh, PA. He enjoyed the summer so much that he started working for a new restaurant in Oxford, 208 South Lamar. Upon graduation, Ryan moved to Charleston, South Carolina where he attended Johnson and Wales University and more importantly found a job working under Chef Frank Lee at Slightly North of Broad. He considers his years spent at S.N.O.B. the most influential in his career, crediting Lee’s direction as the basis for his broad kitchen skills and the development of his palate. Ryan moved back to Memphis in 2005 and started working at the Grove Grill. He spent over four years there as the Chef de Cuisine, until he opened Sweet Grass in April 2010. The following year they opened Sweet Grass Next Door, a casual sports restaurant and bar.
In the two years that it has been open, Sweet Grass has won such accolades as Best New Restaurant and Best Bar in multiple Memphis publications. In addition, Ryan was nominated for Food and Wine’s People's Best New Chef 2011. Ryan has been invited to cook in several festivals and showcases from Portland to Boston. And in 2014, Ryan was asked to participate in a Friends of James Beard benefit dinner with seven other local chefs; they prepared a six-course “Made in Memphis” dinner at the exalted James Beard House New York City. Ryan was humbled in 2016 when he was honored by CBU through selection by his peers with Memphis’ Top 40 Under 40.
In 2017, Ryan Trimm partnered with Craig Blondis and Roger Sapp of Central BBQ to create Across the Board Restaurant Group and opened Sunrise Memphis, an eclectic fast-casual spot specializing in classic breakfast favorites and hand made buttermilk biscuit sandwiches. Sunrise has quickly become one of the top spots for breakfast in Memphis, and hopefully there will be more locations soon. A year later, Ryan, Craig and Roger opened 117 Prime on Union in Downton Memphis. This premier Southern Steakhouse is Chef Ryan’s spin on the American classic. The long 20 seat marble bar, and oyster bar create a perfect atmosphere for happy hour or a cocktail before dinner. Thick prime cuts of meat from the upper midwest our carefully selected and cooked over a hickory wood-burning grill. Chef reflects on his fondest memories of steakhouse favorites and southern classics to create a menu full of amazing sides and appetizers as well.