By Ebony L. Morman

Kayleigh Williams-Brown is the new bar manager at Leah & Louise. Photo by Peter Taylor

Passion and people are always at the forefront of Kayleigh Williams-Brown’s work. Whether in the kitchen as a line cook and a manager, overseeing operations as a general manager, or creating innovative cocktails as a bartender, her efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. 

Last month, the Tacoma, Washington native was promoted to bar manager at Leah & Louise after joining the team as a bartender this past summer. 

Unpretentious Palate: Tell us about yourself and your background.
Kayleigh Williams-Brown: I started high school here in Charlotte and finished high school in Gaston County before going to college at East Carolina University. That’s where I started working more and got more experience in the kitchen. The company I was with at the time, I sort of took off with them and I moved to Asheville. They initially sent me back to Washington as a service manager. So that’s how I started in the industry, working in the kitchen, working my way through the various positions, and really getting to know the processes and the nuances of actually working in a restaurant. It was always my goal to be knowledgeable. I wanted to learn as much as I could for training purposes, so I could train the next person and help the next person realize their skills and their opportunities and move on from there. I’ve opened nine different fast casual concepts in my career thus far. I was with Bottle Cap Group for a little while managing some of their various locations before realizing the bar is what I enjoy most. 

I started at Leah & Louise as a bartender in May. Prior to that, I was a general manager and operations manager with the Royal Tot. I saw Royal Tot through their first Sippin’ Santa. Coming on to the bar at Leah & Louise was a great way to get on with the new team and just continue with my passions, which are learning more behind the bar and being able to connect with people on that level. When you’re in upper management, it’s a little bit more difficult because it takes that face-to-face out of it. What I want to do is to be able to cultivate an amazing experience, something that’s unique per person.

UP: When did you learn that being behind the bar was a passion?
KWB: It was somewhere between 2018 and 2019 when I was transitioning out of a management role back into a bartender role. For me, the creative aspect was far more enjoyable than the back-end operations. Knowing that I needed to find a different path was definitely big for me. In January of this year, I knew I needed a different path because I knew I needed to do what I loved. I was fortunate enough to connect with Justin Hazelton and the Colliers. 

UP: How will your cocktail experience inspire new menu items?
KWB: A lot of what I would like to do in the future is collaboration. The people in the kitchen at Leah & Louise, these chefs, are some of the most creative people I’ve ever met. To be able to hear their perspective on things and see how they break down each dish and ingredient is very inspiring. We’re not wasteful people. We love to brainstorm how we can cross utilize ingredients. When we do our private dinners and we have guest chefs from out of town, it’s a beautiful experience witnessing other people’s ingenuity and their journey. When I meet a chef and know that this is their style of cooking, immediately my wheels start turning into how I can make a drink that personifies that dish. 

Getting to know new flavors has been one of the biggest things for me. I’ve never been the type of person to want to recreate a classic cocktail or recreate a recipe that’s been done for 20 years. I would like to incorporate something different. Maybe it’s not a cocktail that is a replica of a recipe that’s 30 years old but it showcases a specific flavor or a specific idea, something that isn’t classic at all. Maybe it just tastes great or showcases something rare. 

UP: Where do you want to take Leah & Louise’s bar program?
KWB: Without taking away any of the identity that Leah & Louise already has, I would love for each cocktail to really be a story that is reflective of me and each element that brought Leah & Louise together because there are so many moving pieces and moving parts and I’ve seen so many amazing people. What’s really special about even the food is everything has a story and everything has a reason. I want to stay true to that.

I also want more cocktails. I want there to be the core cocktails, I want there to be seasonal cocktails and I want experimental cocktails.

UP: How would you describe the drinks on your menu?
KWB: The drinks I prepare are made with care and they’re not made to be difficult. I want people to witness the magic, witness the care, and know that each drink is created and crafted per person. Every drink is made with the people in mind and not myself.

UP: What’s your favorite cocktail to make right now?
KWB: My favorite cocktail to make is called the beautiful girls cocktail. Beautiful girls is my take on what would be a Kingston Negroni. I’m a huge fan of bitter flavors but I’m also a fan of different textures. This cocktail has all of those things. It’s made with rum, which is something that I love a lot. It’s made with a Satsuma orange-infused Campari, sweet vermouths, orange bitters, and it’s topped with a salted Satsuma orange foam and a dehydrated orange. It’s got layers. It’s got colors. I try to incorporate all of those things. We have sweet, we have savory, we have bitter, and it comes together very nicely for a great mouth feel. It’s a solid drink. 

UP: What’s the most rewarding part of what you do?
KWB: The biggest validation I could ever receive is just genuinely seeing people enjoy their drinks or have a great experience. Especially during work, what fuels me is seeing people have a good time, laugh, engage with one another, and ask questions about drinks. I love when people just want to try things that are on the menu, the things that we’ve taken the time to cultivate. That’s why we’re here and it just gasses me up to see people really enjoying their time with us.