A Local Restaurant Inspired By Love: Leilu

Share it :
Leilu

The Story Behind Leilu

Owners of Leilu, James and Meghan LaCourte, both lifelong residents of Huntington, Long Island, first crossed paths in 2004 while working at Restaurant Joanina, a beloved family-owned establishment in town. Despite graduating from Huntington High School a year apart, their connection deepened as they discovered their shared passion for the restaurant industry. The idea of opening their own restaurant emerged early in their relationship.

Rather than immediately diving into ownership, James and Meghan opted to enhance their skills and knowledge. James continued to evolve with Restaurant Joanina through its changes, including the transition from Renaissance Gourmet, the addition of a bar, and the restaurant’s expansion. Meanwhile, Meghan pursued a journalism career that eventually led her to become a producer and editor at Fox News Digital, specializing in food and wine. Following her time at Fox, Meghan ventured into restaurant marketing, aiding independent establishments in establishing an online presence.

Their diverse experiences laid the groundwork for their future venture. In addition to advancing their respective careers, the couple dedicated time to weekly wine education at the American Sommelier Association in Manhattan. Together, they launched Grape Gatherings, their first joint business, focusing on making wine education engaging and enjoyable. Little did they anticipate that these years of varied experiences would play a crucial role in their upcoming entrepreneurial journey.

Fast forward 15 years from their initial meeting, James and Meghan LaCourte are now happily married and still residing in Huntington. Their deep love for their hometown is matched only by their enthusiasm for exceptional hospitality and exploring new and delightful cuisines and wines. This shared passion motivated them to launch Leilu in the summer of 2019. Through this venture, they aspire to not only share the wealth of knowledge gained in their 25+ years in the restaurant industry but also to deliver a level of service and food quality that brings joy to people.

The design and ambiance of Leilu mirror the philosophy behind their menu—an amalgamation of comfort and modernity. While retaining some beloved dishes, the menu regularly incorporates seasonal ingredients, emphasizing a commitment to sourcing locally and supporting Long Island and New York businesses.

How Leilu Got Its Name

Named after their two lovely daughters, Leila and Lucie, the restaurant is a testament to family inspiration. It’s the girls who serve as a driving force, motivating James and Meghan to put in their best effort every single day.

Visitors to Leilu can expect to find either or both of the owners present every night, working alongside a team they proudly consider part of the Leilu family. They eagerly anticipate crafting a memorable experience for their guests, contributing, even if in a small way, to a special atmosphere at Leilu—their cherished home away from home.

Make sure to give Leilu a visit located at 10 New Street in Huntington Village! For more information, check out their website here.

For more articles about Eats on Long Island, click here.

author avatar
Melissa Farrell CEO
Melissa Farrell has a mission to support local business by "Going Local." As a local business owner herself, she understands the struggles entrepreneurs face when owning a business and is always trying to find ways to shine a spotlight onto them. Melissa started Going Local Tours & Experiences back in 2020 during the pandemic in hopes to bring people back into local restaurants and shops. She created food tours in Huntington, NY that would stop at 3-4 local businesses and gave the guests the chance to meet the owner and hear the story behind the business. She soon realized how powerful storytelling is when connecting people to local businesses and created options with local store owners as well to bring them onto the tour to share their story. Melissa wanted to expand out of Huntington to be able to support even more local businesses and started creating luxury picnics where she would bring local to you! She would find local businesses in the area of the picnic set up and deliver it to you offering ways to support over 3 local businesses at each picnic. This wasn't enough. She wanted to find a better way to help spread awareness of local businesses and share their stories. Enter Evangeline Knell...a woman with over 30 years of broadcasting experience who somehow convinced Melissa to host a 3 day live stream from the Huntington Fall Festival. She had never been on camera before, but working alongside Evie to create the 3 shows, gave Melissa the confidence to take on the challenge. The 3 shows produced focused on the local vendors, the food trucks and the events that occurred at the festival and had a much larger reach than Melissa could ever of done on her own. They soon realized a business partnership was needed and combined their two businesses, Identity Digital which is a production company and Going Local Tours and Experiences to form Going Local Media. Evie and Melissa even formed their own distribution outlet by creating Going Local TV, a streaming platform like Netflix or YouTube, that is all about local businesses, events and organizations on Long Island. There are over 200 videos including their podcast series "Let's Get Local" "Long Island Business Minds" and "Local Business Spotlight" that help spread awareness of our local businesses and Long Island Professionals. They are always thinking up new ways to support local, including this site, Going Local Long Island is a directory of articles on how to Go Local on Long Island. We appreciate you taking the time to read this and for supporting local! Thank you!
Subscribe To Our Free Newsletter!
We'll send you the best of Going Local Long Island right to your inbox, twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. Be in the know and ready to Go Long Island!
Skip to content