In March 2020, Greg and Subrina Collier opened Leah & Louise, a Memphis-inspired juke joint, with flavors adapted from Memphis, Tennessee; Jackson, Mississippi; and New Orleans, in Charlotte’s Camp North End.
The duo is unapologetic when it comes to frank, but necessary, conversation on social media, further putting them on the map as advocates paving the way for Black-owned businesses to receive the recognition they deserve. The Colliers are also co-founders of Soul Food Sessions, a nonprofit to break the mold and create opportunities for African-American chefs, and most recently launched BayHaven Food & Wine Festival—the first all-Black food festival of its kind.
“Our biggest hurdle was trying to build a new business while also trying to sustain a long-standing business in the middle of Uptown,” says Subrina Collier. “Our biggest success was being able to create Leah & Louise and build something that allowed us to speak through our culture, heritage, and foodways,” she adds.
At Leah & Louise, guests explore the Collier’s vision of Black Southern cuisine by way of dishes like River Chips: chicken skins with “granch,” a delicious green onion and ranch mixture; the show-stopping Mud Island blackened catfish, sitting in a bath of smoked catfish stew alongside rice grits, pickled field peas, and candied pepper; and Leah’s cabbage: a modern take on smothered cabbage, plus a nod to Greg’s late sister, Leah, who continuously experimented with dishes in the kitchen. A “Pay What You Can’’ community dish has remained on the menu since day one, allowing patrons to enjoy their food, regardless of their social or financial status.
Greg Collier is hoping for more conscientious diners as restaurants maneuver the pandemic. “We hope the pandemic showed folks how difficult hospitality is and we hope they understand the folks that stayed alive to serve love to serve,” he says.
The Colliers have further evolved BayHaven Restaurant Group, partnering with Camp North End to open four new concepts in summer 2022: Passage Seafood (a modern fish camp reflecting the Carolinas’ terroir mixed with the Colliers’ heritage), the Abyss (a modern speakeasy led by Leah & Louise’s mixologist Justin Hazelton), Bird Is the Word (a “chicken-centric” counter-service spot), and B.A.D. (Beyond Amazing Donuts, from former Leah & Louise pastry chef Jasmine Macon).
Can’t Miss:
Cocktail: Carolina Gold Coast, a combination of whiskey, amaro, Carolina Gold Rice orgeat, egg white, and Angostura bitters
Appetizer: River Chips, crispy chicken skins with green onion-inflected ranch dressing
Main: Mud Island blackened catfish over smoked catfish stew and rice grits
