The couples behind 3 Memphis restaurants share their recipe for love and success

Behind the scenes at many of Memphis’ independent restaurants is a couple at the heart of the business.

A couple that has a passion for providing quality food and service to its guests. A couple that divides and conquers the duties of operating a business in the hospitality industry. A couple that pours their hearts into their dining concept.

Here are the couples behind three of Memphis’ most popular eateries. Each shares how love is a key ingredient for their recipe to success.

Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies: Pamela and Maurice Hill

Pamela and Maurice Hill’s love story is as sweet as their beloved Makeda's butter cookies.

The two met in 1994 while working together at the laboratory at The MED. “I was a medical lab tech, and he was a phlebotomist. He would collect the specimens and bring them to the lab, and I would run the test,” Pamela recalled. “After dating for about a year, he asked me to marry him, and I said yes! That was in 1996, and we are still happily married most of the time.”

Maurice said the idea for Makeda’s happened when he and his brother were reminiscing about the cookies that were sold in their school cafeteria. “I convinced my brother and brother in-law to go into business with me. Neither of us had any experience and very little money,” Maurice said. “After a couple of years, they quit on me and that's when I convinced Pamela to quit her job to help me run the business. It wasn't easy but she must have been in love with me because she quit, and the struggle began.”

Pamela believes the business has kept them together. “It brought us closer because we have had a lot of challenges that we have had to work through together,” she said. “We both want what's best for the business because we want to be successful. This is how we pay our bills and therefore we have to agree to disagree or not.”

Taking the time to spend time with each other is a priority, and watching movies is a favorite date night. To help make it happen during their busy schedule, the couple built their own personal theater upstairs, complete with a 100-foot screen, projector, surround sound speakers and a large collection of DVDs.

“We really have fun when we break out the karaoke and sing to each other,” said Pamela, adding they also love to dance. “If we are invited out to celebrate any occasion, you can count on us to be there most of the time to dance the night away.”

The couple is celebrating 28 years of marriage this month. Their level of respect for each other is inspiring.

Maurice said he values Pamela’s truthfulness, straightforwardness and love. Pamela admires Maurice for being hard working, dedicated and compassionate.

After running a successful bakery for 25 years, their advice to a successful marriage and partnership is: “Put God first. Worship. Respect each other. Never give up. Always do your best.”

The Majestic Grille and Cocozza: Patrick and Deni Reilly

The Majestic Grille and Cocozza owners Patrick and Deni Reilly met by chance at a work event at the former Gibson Guitar Lounge. After a multiyear courtship, they married in a castle in Ireland in 2005 and just six months later opened The Majestic Grille.

Almost 20 years later, the couple not only runs two of the most popular Downtown Memphis restaurants, but they are also making an impact on Memphis restaurant community as volunteer leaders in organizations such as the Memphis Restaurant Association and the Downtown Memphis Commission.

The two credit fate for the decision to open a business together. “We each had unique talents and we were both looking to grow professionally," Deni said. "When the opportunity to open The Majestic presented itself, we realized we could be a perfect team — so we just jumped in."

They explained that restaurant ownership is all-consuming — whether married or not. “We both have that understanding and shared commitment to doing what’s needed,” Deni said. “Because we’re both in it, there’s no resentment built up or feeling abandoned because the other person is always working at or on the business. Plus, it’s pretty special to be able to put your heart and soul into something with your spouse and share in those successes.”

And leaving work behind when they go home can be challenging. “Luckily, we have an amazing 11-year-old son who keeps us on our toes and has a lot of interests that he still wants us to be involved in with him,” Deni said. “We also have a great friend group, most of whom have ‘normal’ jobs that help keep us grounded and force us to have fun once in a while.”

What is a “date night” like for this restaurant-working couple? “What is that?!” joked Deni. “As much as we love food and supporting our fellow restaurant friends, going to another restaurant in town is hard just because you feel like you still need to be ‘on’ the whole time. We prefer to day date with a weekly golfing date. It’s hard to think about work when you’re looking for your ball in the rough or trying to outdrive each other.”

VALENTINE'S DAY ON ASH WEDNESDAY: Here are 10 fish dishes in Memphis that we love

Taking time off together, and apart, is a key ingredient for their successful partnership.

“When we opened The Majestic, we were running everything and always at the restaurant and always together,” Deni said. “Once we were able to take time off each week, we took one day off together and one day off without the other. On that day, we wouldn’t call or text each other and just purposefully go full radio silence. Giving each other some space helped keep us sane and from getting under each other’s skin.”

Deni said her respect for Patrick goes beyond his culinary talent. “He’s wicked smart and places a high value on integrity and operating our business with purpose and a moral center that is admirable. But what I probably admire most about him is that he’s a great Dad,” she said. “It’s a privilege to witness him be a father to our son and see the joy he takes in sharing the world with this curious, kind, not-so-little person in our lives. He challenges me to be a better version of myself. We irritate the heck out of each other, but at the end of the day, there’s no one with whom I’d rather hold hands through this adventure we call life.”

Patrick speaks of Deni with the same level of admiration. “Well not to be cliché, but when you find ‘the one,’ everything is so clear. Knowing you have a soulmate that you can totally and without reservation love, trust and rely upon in any situation is just an incredible gift,” he said. “Obviously her work ethic, integrity and business acumen are unparalleled, but her ability to constantly find ways to allow us, our restaurants and our staff to connect with people in meaningful ways is just breathtaking.”

Raw Girls: Hannah and Amy Pickle

Hannah and Amy Pickle are the couple behind Raw Girls, a plant-based foods and juice concept they launched in 2011.

Food brought them together.

The two first met at a superfood smoothie class Hannah was hosting at her yoga studio.

“I was intrigued by the concept of ‘superfoods.’ I hadn’t heard the term before. It opened a whole new world for me,” Amy said. Hannah remembers that meeting as “love at first sight.”

As their love grew, so did their desire to create a business together. “We didn’t want to be apart,” Hannah said.

“It’s true, we both love to create together. Hannah and I are in a state of constant creation, as a couple and individually,” Amy said. “We were joking about this last night, looking at the natural cleaning products we made during a few hours of downtime. When we aren’t creating for Raw Girls, we create for our home — which eventually translates to a product we offer our customers down the line. I would say 90% of what we produce for work started out as something we created for ourselves and loved so much we wanted to share it with everyone.”

Both say working together is full of advantages.

“I get to work with my favorite person,” Hannah said. “Her face is my favorite face, her voice is my favorite voice. Her mind and creativity are always inspiring and intersect with mine in a way where creativity blossoms and flows easily. It feels like magic.”

Amy feels the same way. “I couldn’t have said it better myself. When she leaves the kitchen to take our daughter to school, or grab something from the store, I miss her. When she returns, I get excited all over again, seeing her face. 13 years later, and we are still in the puppy love phase.”

The two also prioritize family. “Our home life is full,” Hannah said.

MEMPHIS ON TV: Guy Fieri to feature 3 Memphis restaurants on Food Network in February. Here's who.

In between working, traveling and taking care of their children, the two make time for each other. “Making dinner is celebratory, we usually have jazz playing, while we connect as a family,” Amy said.

Amy said that intention is the key ingredient to a successful work partnership.

“Regardless of the highs and lows of business to stay connected to your intention is our top advice,” Hannah said. “To remember why you are doing it. I love working alongside my wife and making a positive impact on Memphis by bringing healthy foods to Memphis.”

Hannah said she admires Amy’s strength, spontaneity and talent. “She makes decisions with her inner voice. She trusts her inner guidance … and it’s something we both believe in,” she said.

“We take a spiritual approach to business, marriage, family and every aspect of our life," Hannah said. "This inner voice has been our anchor. We both realize that every challenge we face is working for us, opening opportunities for growth. And after cooking for Memphis all day, she still comes home and makes dinner for me.”

Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on X and Instagram at @cookwjennifer. 

If you want to keep up with the tastiest news in the Bluff City — like the story above, sign up for our Eat Drink Memphis weekly newsletter for a hearty serving of stories on everything from restaurants to recipes. You can sign up here.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Valentine's Day in Memphis: Restaurants & the love stories behind them