Leah & Louise, the newest restaurant from Greg and Subrina Collier, has earned a spot on Esquire’s annual Best New Restaurants list. The restaurant takes inspiration from the Colliers’ Memphis upbringing, as well as the history of juke joints, establishments popular during the Jim Crow era for Black Americans to drink and listen to music.

“We are elated that a Black restaurant that focuses on Black foodways was able to get that type of recognition during this time,” Subrina Collier says. “It’s a pandemic, we’re all fighting a fight of some sort, and trying to stay uplifted. We don’t take it lightly at all. We hope we can inspire others to keep their eyes on the prize.”

Leah & Louise ranks at number two on the list of 23 restaurants.

“The top story in American cooking over the past decade has been the rise of Black chefs such as Mashama Bailey, Edouardo Jordan, and Kwame Onwuachi—and a long-overdue celebration of the foodways of the African diaspora,” Esquire writes. “At Leah & Louise, the Memphis-born chef Gregory Collier—who owns the Camp North End juke joint with his wife, Subrina—moves that conversation into its next phase, with a vision of Black southern cuisine that’s as innovative as it is fun.”

The restaurant opened just before the Covid-19 pandemic forced the Governor’s office to announce a state-wide shutdown of restaurant dining rooms in March. They continued operating with takeout until reopening again at 50 percent capacity.

Aside from having an authentic personality in dishes by Greg Collier, the restaurant’s executive chef, a solid beverage program by Justin Hazelton, and creative desserts by Jasmine Macon, the Colliers are also prioritizing the hiring and mentoring of Black female chefs.

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