Gregory Collier

Chef Gregory Collier has always had a special place in his heart for food and its preparations. A native of Memphis, Tenn., his first real memories recall cooking beside his grandmother making butter rolls. She never revealed her recipe to him, but she left him with so much more: A desire to make people happy with good food.
After attending college, Collier pursued work as a line cook, which is how he met his now wife, Subrina. He soon packed everything up to move to Phoenix, Arizona where he enrolled in the Scottsdale Community College Culinary Program. A year later, he convinced his “boo” to join him.
After receiving his chef’s credentials, he opened restaurants and honed his work ethic. Working as Breakfast Chef at the Phoenician Resort, he discovered a love of the versatility and beauty of breakfast foods. He would go on to work as a chef at the Arizona Biltmore and the Westin Kierland Resort.
Wanting to be closer to family, he and Subrina moved to Charlotte, NC in 2012. Together, they purchased a diner and opened their first all-breakfast restaurant, The Yolk, in Rock Hill, SC. Proponents of locally sourced food, the couple work to ensure urban and rural farmers are supported in their efforts to make a living and continue providing quality products.
In 2016, Greg and Subrina were among the founders of The Soul Food Sessions, a series of innovative dining events designed to acknowledge and support people of color in the culinary arts, restaurant and hospitality industries and beverage services. In 2018 they were named Charlotteans of the Year by Charlotte Magazine.
The Colliers moved The Yolk to uptown Charlotte in early 2019. Greg Collier was named a semi-finalist in the James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards in 2019 and 2020. Collier, the first black chef from Charlotte to earn a nod, was recognized twice in the category of “Best Chef: Southeast.”
Subrina Collier is a 2020 James Beard Foundation Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Fellow, and the pair serve on President-Elect Joe Biden’s Small Business and Entrepreneurs Advisory Council.
Their newest concept, Leah & Louise, a modern juke joint, was to open in March 2020, but was delayed by the pandemic. When it opened in June (with limited dine-in seating), the menu featured modern interpretations of Southern classics that honor Mississippi river valley foodways (Memphis, Jackson, Mississippi and New Orleans). Esquire Magazine named Leah & Louise one of the best new restaurants of 2020.