The dirty grits from Leah & Louise, a new restaurant from Greg and Subrina Collier in Camp North End. Photo by Peter Taylor

The dining room of Leah & Louise, the Camp North End restaurant from Greg and Subrina Collier, reopens today after the stay-at-home order hit just as the Colliers planned to open their restaurant. The restaurant will serve what has become Collier’s signature cuisine, a meld of dishes from his upbringing in Memphis and the legacy of Afro-Southern cooking. Leah & Louise is currently open for dinner service only, with lunch coming soon.

The menu’s “Where I’m From” lists dishes such as oxtail and dumplings and smoked catfish stew, as well as a pay-what-you-can vegetarian dish that looks to make the restaurant more accessible to diners.

The Colliers are founding members of the Soul Food Sessions series, pop-up dinners that spotlight Black chefs in the city. Their advocacy has been crucial in pushing Charlotte’s culinary scene to include a more diverse roster of chefs. We’re looking forward to seeing how Leah & Louise continues that push; we would be shocked if the restaurant isn’t listed among the Best New Restaurant semifinalists in next year’s James Beard Awards.

We spoke to Subrina Collier in-depth about juke joints, the inspiration behind the restaurant, and Greg Collier about why he prioritized hiring Black women to work in the restaurant named for his grandmother and sister. Leading the cocktail program is Justin Hazelton, longtime bartender at 5Church. Hazelton will also be our guest at an upcoming Virtual Happy Hour.

Reservations are currently booked this weekend, but tables are available next week and can be made on the restaurant’s website. —Kristen Wile