The creator of Asher and The Fickle Pickle, Andy Badgett, attributes his affinity for the kitchen to his mother who is an excellent cook. She first shared her skill and passion for cooking with her son upon his return home from summer camp when he told her that he wanted to learn how to cook...and a chef was born. Badgett’s love for cooking was inspired by the creativity, the bounty of ingredients and that Southern hospitality.

Badgett is a 1997 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, where he met his wife, Jennifer. Together they moved to San Francisco where Jennifer worked with one of the most influential American chefs – Alice Waters – founder and co-owner of Chez Panisse. And Andy took a line cook position at Stars – alongside Jeremiah Tower who, along with Alice Waters, is generally credited with inventing California cuisine. In 1998, they moved to Atlanta, returning to Jennifer’s hometown. Andy worked at Ciboulette and was the pastry chef at Sia’s before the couple decided to follow their dream of opening their own restaurant.

The husband and wife team opened their first joint venture in Roswell in January 2000 – Asher. The name of the restaurant was inspired by a passage from Genesis – and Andy’s favorite food quote – that reads, "Asher's food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king." The couple enjoyed critical acclaim for their nightly 4-course Prix Fixe menu featuring “inspired classic” cuisine that focused on French and Italian techniques. After three successful years of operating Asher, the couple made a difficult decision to close Asher so that they could focus on their growing family and spend some evenings at their own family dinner table.

Badgett’s love for Southern cuisine inspired him to transform the quaint Victorian cottage that once housed Asher into The Fickle Pickle – a casual restaurant that provides the perfect setting to enjoy old-fashioned Southern classics and comfort food with a modern twist. And The Fickle Pickle has received critical acclaim for their Cajun fried pickles. Recently, Atlanta’s own “mad scientist of the culinary world” Alton Brown, host of the Food Network’s “Good Eats” was interviewed in the July 2006 issue of “Where Atlanta” magazine, where he said “one of his favorite local appetizers are fried pickles from the Fickle Pickle in Roswell.”

After four successful years with The Fickle Pickle, Badgett was ready for a new culinary challenge and opened Relish in August 2007. Badgett knows Southern food well and enjoys creating good food inspired by the rich culinary history of Southern cuisine. Badgett has created a menu that celebrates Southern Cuisine – interpreted with modern sensibilities – to complement the casual bistro environment of Relish.