Sacred Spaces, Shared Plates

The couple behind some of Charlotte's hottest restaurants is crafting more than creative menus

Outside an old church in the historic Dilworth neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina, towering palms wave as you climb the steps to the doorway. Inside, sun rays stream in from tall windows and dance on original wooden beams that criss-cross the vaulted ceilings in this airy, once holy, space. 

Leluia Hall, a play on “alleluia" and "hallelujah,” is the latest endeavor by Charlotte restaurant power couple Jamie Brown and Jeff Tonidandel. Vibrant blue, green, and gold paper patterns the walls; luxe materials, like velvet and tailor-made woods, enhance the Art Deco feel. Nothing is rushed here, nothing cookie-cutter; and that’s just how they designed it. 

Over the years, these dedicated restaurateurs have developed and honed their signature style, making them a staple in the city's vibrant culinary scene. They are builder–curators who see restaurants as more than businesses to scale, but as essential cultural spaces, rooted in history, slowcooked with intentionality, and deeply dedicated to place and craft.

Their efforts began over a decade ago, when the couple quit their corporate jobs, traveled the world together, and dreamt of opening their own restaurant. When they returned to Charlotte, they launched their first concept, Crêpe Cellar. The European-inspired gastropub in the city’s eclectic North Davidson (NoDa) neighborhood soon became a cozy go-to for first dates, friend hangs, and pre-concert crêpes and frites.

Today, the Tonidandel Brown Restaurant Group runs six restaurants, including Supperland, which they describe as “Southern steakhouse meets church potluck”— also located in a former church. Haberdish, located in a former mill house, is reflective of the city’s rich textile manufacturing heritage. 

Each restaurant adds a colorful layer to Charlotte’s culinary tapestry and takes teamwork. Tonidandel leads the group’s culinary and business operations, and Brown heads up marketing and visibility. For creative concept development, it takes two. 

“Our shared responsibilities are usually where any kind of disagreements come in. We both can have pretty strong opinions and they can widely differ,” says Tonidandel. “We trust one another, and if one of us feels strongly about something, listening and understanding the other’s position is important. There’s usually validity in those strong positions that can help us get to a better place in our decision-making.”

They also harness humility. Brown adds: “I’m not always right. Having that mindset has helped us work better together and has allowed me to be more open. I can often take my thoughts and mold them with his feedback, and then we come up with some pretty original ideas.”

Sometimes the couple disagrees, but they choose to focus on the fun parts of their work, which helps them reconnect when life gets tough. “Of course there are a lot of moving pieces in our worlds, but we hang on to faith that things will calm again if we keep working at it,” says Tonidandel. 

In an industry defined by rising costs, changing demands, and shifting labor dynamics, the pair has doubled down on creativity and restraint—choosing to build fewer things, more thoughtfully, and only when they feel the story is worth telling. For example, in 2022, they replaced Crêpe Cellar with Ever Andalo, a concept dedicated to Tonidandel’s northern Italian family heritage, tracing back to the Dolomite region of northern Italy. Brown notes: “We’ve been able to trace his family history, learn about the cuisine of that area, and bring touches of those experiences back to Charlotte for our guests.”

Their approach, prioritizing originality over copy-and-paste scalability, is rare and refreshing in a city often criticized for demolishing its architectural heritage. And their emphasis on historic preservation takes patience: a fading virtue in today’s fast-paced, flip-it culture. 

“There are probably a lot easier ways to make money, like franchising or having multiple locations of the same concept,” says Tonidandel. “But we love creating new things and making something special that you can only get in one spot.”

Leluia Hall was no different. The restaurant finally opened in summer 2025, after nearly three years of anticipation. Once they purchased the building, the two spent years working to preserve a number of elements of the original interior. They hung four lights from the 1915 church in the bar area, framed the floral stained glass that once adorned the original front door and brought it inside, and exposed the original rafters on the ceilings. 

Everything is done the slow, old-fashioned way. There’s no ordering furniture here; every dining table is made of North Carolina hickory and white oak in the restaurant group’s woodshop. The server stations, custom bar cabinets, and bar were all built in their woodshop, and even small wooden holders used to serve the cucumber-mint popsicles, a palate-cleanser served between courses, were team-made. 

This fall, the Leluia overhaul process will be the subject of a 10-part docu-follow public television series, “Fork & Hammer”, scheduled to launch in October 2026. 

Even with their success, they don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. The couple recently purchased the 120-year-old Leeper-Wyatt building, a 1903 former grocery store building and historic landmark, which they moved from South End to Dilworth, next to Leluia Hall. 

“Inside, we will be creating a new concept that is heavily influenced by the architecture, not only in terms of its original use as a grocery, but also in terms of the space itself,” says Brown. “The whole building will be four stories, and that plays a big role in the type of concept we’ll create within its walls.”

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About the Author

Virginia Brown is a freelance journalist, writer, and editor with nearly 15 years of editorial experience. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Atlas Obscura, Southern Living, AAA Traveler, Apartment Therapy, and more. She holds a master’s in journalism from Northwestern’s Medill School and a B.A. from UNC–Chapel Hill, is a professional member of ASJA, and lives in Little Rock, Arkansas.

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