Charlotte culinary duo gets national TV spotlight
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Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown in front of Leluia Hall. Photo courtesy of Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown
"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.
- PBS North Carolina faces a 15% budget cut — about $9 million over two years — making shows like "Fork & Hammer" even more dependent on sponsors and community support to get on air.
Go deeper: What's at stake when public media funds are cut
What's next: Tonidandel and Brown are planning on a second and third season, if sponsorship funding falls into place.