Hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, Michelle Wallace moved to Houston to study healthcare administration, but her love of food and technique evolved, and after graduating from Texas Southern University, she attended the Art Institute of Houston to receive formal culinary training. After stints at Houston’s and Pesce under Chef Mark Holley, Williams in 2017 joined pitmaster Greg Gatlin at his namesake restaurant. Her love of sandwiches was made apparent with her creations at Gatlin’s BBQ, leading to an appearance on season three of Food Network’s BBQ Brawl, and being named a James Beard Foundation Taste Twenty Chef for the culinary series Taste America. In 2023, Wallace launched her company B’tween Sandwich Co.