Latest news with #Tonidandel
Axios
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Axios
Charlotte culinary duo gets national TV spotlight
"Fork & Hammer," the reality TV show about local restaurateurs Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown, will premiere at the newly-restored Carolina Theatre next month. Why it matters: The husband-and-wife duo launched Crepe Cellar in NoDa during the 2009 recession without prior restaurant experience. Since then, they've built a thriving family-run empire comprising local beloved spots — Haberdish, Supperland, Ever Andalo, Growlers, and Leluia Hall — all while raising a family, preserving historic buildings and navigating Charlotte's evolving culinary landscape. Driving the news: Tickets are on sale for the Oct. 7 premiere. Charlotteans will get a first look one week before the show debuts nationwide. PBS North Carolina will air Fork & Hammer every Wednesday, starting Oct. 15, at 2pm and on Sundays, starting Oct. 19, at 11:30am. Season 1 will air on PBS stations nationwide this fall, with exact dates and times rolling out market by market. What to expect: The series follows the couple as they run their five businesses, manage more than 230 employees, open their newest restaurant, Leluia Hall, and save the Leeper-Wyatt building, one of the oldest retail structures in the South End area. The evening kicks off with a lobby meet-and-greet, followed by the 26-minute first episode, "It Started with a Crêpe," which revisits the couple's first restaurant, Crêpe Cellar Kitchen & Pub. Tennis champion and Charlotte resident Andy Roddick will moderate a live Q&A with Tonidandel and Brown after the screening. Behind the scenes: The 10-episode first season, produced by Susie Films and presented by SCETV, will be distributed nationally by American Public Television. "It's entrepreneurship, it's risk-taking, it's the real behind-the-scenes of what it takes to keep these places going," Brown tells Axios. Flashback: Susie Films, a Charlotte-based production company, reached out to Brown and Tonidandel after spotting them on the 2023 cover of Charlotte magazine. From there, Susie Films pitched the concept to several outlets, including Netflix, Magnolia, Food Network and PBS. They raised $1 million from sponsors to produce the show, including ETV Endowment of South Carolina, Trust20, the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, and Biltmore Estate Winery. The big picture: Charlotte's food scene is heading to the national stage in more ways than one. "Fork & Hammer" is coming to TVs across the country at the same time Charlotte is earning fresh culinary cred, from being named host city for "Top Chef" season 23 to the Michelin Guide's expansion into the Southeast. Between the lines: Congress recently cut $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, forcing its shutdown by early 2026 and leaving PBS and NPR stations scrambling, with layoffs, hiring freezes and emergency fundraising drives.
Axios
01-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Hallelujah! Leluia Hall is finally opening next week
Leluia Hall, a new surf-and-turf restaurant by local restaurateurs Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown, opens next week in Dilworth. Why it matters: First announced in 2022, the arrival of this restaurant has been a long time coming and is one of the most anticipated for the city. We got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the whirlwind final few weeks of menu tastings, staff trainings and finishing touches ahead of its opening. Driving the news: Leluia Hall opens the week of May 6 at 1829 Cleveland Ave. Hours of operation are Tuesday-Thursday, 4-10pm, Friday-Saturday, 4-11pm, Sundays 4-10pm. Of note: The restaurant will be closed on Tuesday, May 13, for a private event. Catch up quick: Brown and Tonidandel, who also own Haberdish, Growler's Pourhouse and Ever Andalo, purchased the 1915 building from the owner of the longtime favorite Bonterra in 2021. Several factors delayed the restaurant's opening, including unforeseen setbacks and challenges associated with preserving the historic church. The couple also purchased another historic structure — the 120-year-old Leeper-Wyatt building, which they moved from South End to Dilworth, next to Leluia Hall. The vibe: Coastal elegance meets Art-Deco meets Americana. Brown and Tonidandel had a hand in designing every detail inside and outside the building — from its custom Moroccan tiles to its tabletops, even the large palm trees that frame the entrance. The 6,000 square foot space comprises a main dining room, private dining room and wine cellar, a mezzanine dining area with its own bar, and a raw bar where seafood is served fresh. Dig in: Expect family-style, shareable dishes, a raw bar program and prime and wagyu cuts of steak. Executive chef Chris Rogienski and chef de cuisine Cristian Medrano designed the menu in collaboration with the team. "What makes our steak special is we do a salt and sugar cure on all of our steaks — three parts salt, one part sugar," Rogienski said. "Your steak isn't going to taste sweet, but it'll taste beefier." Another menu highlight is the Picanha steak, also known as the rump cap, a popular choice in Brazilian steakhouses worldwide. "I have not heard of a steak house in Charlotte serving Picanha," Rogienski said. Its raw bar will offer a variety of seafood dishes like ceviche, oysters, crudo, tiny tuna tacos and an indulgent seafood tower. "I can see someone [sitting here] having a ceviche with plantains, and then an oyster shooter and then a steak," Tonidandel said of the raw bar. There are plenty of allergy-friendly and specialty diet options, like vegetarian stuffed roasted onions, and gluten-free fried mushrooms and fried coconut shrimp. "We have a dedicated gluten-free fryer, so that allows some of our corn/rice-based fried items (like the tortilla chips, plantain chips and taco shells) to be cooked separately from gluten-containing items," a statement from the owners reads. Between the lines: In a successful kitchen, everything is timed to the second so they can replicate a dish a hundred times over an evening. Even the ceviche, which is made with pineapple juice at Leluia Hall, must have the perfect PH levels and sugar content to stay consistent. Sip on this: 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist and beverage director Colleen Hughes designed the cocktail program, which fuses tropical flavors, house infusions and culinary techniques. Its wine list will have more than 200 variations curated by wine director Michael Klinger. After opening a series of successful restaurants (some of Charlotte's best), Brown and Tonidandel have mastered the art of restaurateurship. The husband-and-wife duo don't just hire a team and hope for the best; they greenlight every detail, from the cut of the shrimp to the thickness of a plantain chip, to the color of the pottery, because everything matters. They do this all while life is happening around them, and this time, documenting it along the way. Zoom in:" Fork and Hammer," produced by Charlotte-based Susie Films, is a television series still in production that follows Brown and Tonidandel's journey to open Leluia Hall. The series follows the couple as they run their five businesses, manage more than 230 employees, open Leluia Hall, and save the Leeper-Wyatt building. Their next venture has already begun. When asked if they had a plan yet for the Leeper-Wyatt building, Brown said, "We do and we don't." Situated next to Leluia Hall, the buildings share the property, the trash, and you can't ignore one while working on the other. "You have to deal with permits, pipes, etc.," Brown explains. Brown did share that the 1903 building, which has four floors, will have a solarium on the top floor.
