NEWS

Jamie Brown (photo by Allyson Ray)

On February 23, Main Street Books featured Jamie Bown talking about her new book, “Eleven Tables.” Jamie shared the experiences that she and her husband, Jeff Tonidandel, have had in creating their family-owned restaurant group that owns Supperland, Leluia Hall, Haberdish, Ever Andola, Reigning Doughnuts, and Growler's Pourhouse in Charlotte.

The book, “Eleven Tables,” gets its title from their first restaurant in Charlotte that had only eleven tables. Since opening that restaurant in 2009, the business has grown to six restaurants with a team of 330 people.

Jamie and Jeff are both Davidson College graduates (1999 and 1998 respectively), and many people in Davidson remember watching Jamie and her identical twin sister, Kerry, play on the Davidson women’s basketball team.

Jamie and Jeff didn’t begin their careers in the hospitality industry.  They both had corporate jobs but felt they should be doing something different.  They put their belongings in storage and traveled the world for nine months.  During their travels they realized that they were seeing the world through the lens of food.

Jamie’s priority is her family, Jeff and their three children. It is important to her that she and Jeff are on this journey together.

The Tonidandal-Brown Group's approach to creating restaurants and development of a culinary team is featured in the PBS series, "Fork & Hammer." Three of their restaurants are recommended in the “Michelin Guide, American South.”