Some of the best restaurants in the city share something in common. Kindred, Leah & Louise, The Fig Tree, and Supperland are among them. The shared trait? They’re run by married couples.

On Valentine’s Day, we often celebrate the romance that comes along with love, but another trait of love we should be celebrating is strength. The Kindreds, the Colliers (Leah & Louise), the Zanitsches (The Fig Tree), and Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown (Supperland) are so successful in part because they use that strength to their advantage.

Each of the couples mentioned above is made up of two individuals with contrasting yet equally considerable talents: front of house to back of house, business to public relations, ideas to follow-through. When those talents are united in running a business, they create a nearly unstoppable whole.

That’s why there are so many power couples behind the city’s best restaurants. It’s rare that restaurants are equally memorable in both service and food, but among these restaurants, it’s expected, thanks to the diversified expertise among their owners.

Charlotte’s restaurant scene owes a lot to love.

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