Introduction to Luella’s Southern Kitchen
ALBANY PARK — Chef Darnell Reed celebrated the grand opening of Luella’s Southern Kitchen’s new Albany Park home this week with a new brunch menu. Reed’s Lincoln Square lease at 4609 N. Lincoln Ave. ended last year, which led him to reevaluate his business model so he could spend more time with his family. After quietly reopening last month at 4114 N. Kedzie Ave., Reed hosted a grand opening of his relocated breakfast and brunch spot Wednesday.
The New Chapter
“I’m really looking forward to this next chapter,” Reed said. “And there’s a lot to be excited for because we now own the building.” Luella’s Southern Kitchen’s new hours are 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.
Chef Darnell Reed in front of the new home of Luella’s Southern Kitchen in Albany Park. Credit: Provided.
Background and Inspiration
Reed was previously executive chef at the Conrad Chicago after studying at Chicago’s Washburne Culinary Institute. He decided to open Luella’s in Lincoln Square back in 2015. Luella’s menu features recipes Reed learned from his great-grandmother, Luella Funches, who moved to Chicago from Mississippi in 1943. But Reed’s given her dishes a modern twist. “She showed me how food could bring people together,” Reed said.
The New Menu
When the opportunity to acquire the site of the former El Alerije Mexican Restaurant & Bar came about, Reed decided to relocate the business and ditch the dinner menu so he could have more quality time with his wife and kids, he said. “It really was burning the candle at both ends. We’ve had some long nights getting ready to open still, but I’m able to be home at a pretty decent time compared to when we had a dinner service. And that’s been my overall goal,” Reed said. The new menu features items like a boudin served with an egg and cheese biscuit alongside pepper jelly and fontina, beignets and a sticky doughnut, original and Nashville-style chicken and waffles using farm-raised poultry from Harrison’s Poultry in suburban Glenview and buttermilk pancakes served with whipped brown butter and blueberry compote.
Chef Darnell Reed stands behind a dish of buttermilk pancakes served with whipped brown butter blueberry compote. Credit: Provided.
Regional Inspirations and Suppliers
Reed is also bringing back a popular Kentucky hot brown on brioche, made with turkey from Slagel Family Farm in Fairbury. The menu item was a special in summer 2023 at the Lincoln Square location, inspired by one of Luella’s first employees from Kentucky, Reed said. “Part of the reason I’m adding Kentucky hot brown to this menu is because I want to lean more into my Southern roots and things related to that. I also want to offer something that’s very popular in a certain region but maybe not so popular here in Chicago yet,” Reed said. Other items include crab-stuffed shrimp served with smoked grits and Maque Choux, Reed said. “For that, it’s not really that it’s a regional dish or anything like that. But I know for a fact that nobody’s serving smoked grits at all,” Reed said. “So there’s certain things I feel like I can put my mark on.”
Suppliers and Partnerships
Corn for the restaurant’s grits, pea shoots, pecans harvested in Tennessee and other produce will come from Three Sisters Garden, based in Kankakee. And Mick Klug Farms — in St. Joseph, Michigan — will supply seasonal fruits for making jam, French toast and other menu items on the sweet side, Reed said.
The New Space
Reed had a good relationship with his Lincoln Square landlord — but now that he owns his restaurant’s building, he can more easily tweak the setting to his liking, he said. “The original Luella’s interior was a little bit different. It was more wood. And it was nice,” Reed said. But after taking over the Albany Park spot, Reed had the idea to repaint the interior and exterior to better tie his new home to his family’s legacy, he said. The restaurant’s new color scheme is white accented with bright Carolina blue to better represent Reed’s Southern ties, he said. “When we did the soft opening, I got some questions about the color scheme. People enjoyed
