Trace Ayala is a creative entrepreneur whose vision is making waves within the world of both fashion and Bar-B-Que.

Trace grew up with Justin Timberlake in Memphis, TN. Though Trace now lives in Beverly Hills, he is still, at heart, a country boy, and considers the residence he maintains in Memphis home.

Ayala left home as a teenager, serving as personal assistant to his closest childhood friend, Justin Timberlake, and with him, he toured the world.

Ayala and Timberlake later conceived of their own line of clothing, showing the influence of their strong southern roots. They launched William Rast in 2004. They named the company to honor their grandfathers, who, too, were friends. William Rast soon became a trend-setter popular with celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson among others.

The success of WR allowed them to turn to new ventures.

When Ayala and Timberlake visited New York, they often frequented the legendary nightclub, SUEDE, owned by their friends Eytan Sugarman and Timbaland. They would regale Sugarman with stories about the bars and restaurants they had enjoyed in their hometown, such as Rendezvous BBQ and BB King's.

Eytan finally took a trip to Memphis to see for himself, and the three friends made the rounds. It was then that they came up with the idea of creating a bar-restaurant whose decor paid homage to Memphis as the birthplace of Rock N Roll and home to the finest BBQ.

"Southern Hospitality" opened on July 18th to tremendous media attention. The three founders were featured on TV shows, magazines and newspapers around the world. "Southern Hospitality" packs in the crowds daily, bringing a little taste of Memphis to NYC.