Love Language Kitchen And Lounge serving fine dining to the CSRA with love

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – When it comes to food, it’s all about the love, and Love Language Kitchen and Lounge makes sure that each and every customer feels and tastes the love when they walk through their doors.

Owners Chef Tony and Ashley Bradburn sit down with WJBF to discuss how they met, what brought them to the city of Augusta, and how they incorporate the 5 love languages in their food.

Plus, we get the opportunity to taste some of their delicious menu items including The Dirty Bird, Get Your Roll On Philly, and The Philly Of The Sea.

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule and allowing us to be here in your establishment for Celebrating Black Excellence. Let’s get started. Now, we have to start with the love. How did you two meet?

We actually went to the same high school, but we didn’t actually meet and started dating until after high school. We were introduced by a mutual friend. Then, it’s been just us ever since.

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Where are you all originally from?

I was born in Roanoke, Virginia, and Ashley is from Philadelphia.

What brought you out here to Augusta?

My dad was military, and this is where he kicked his feet up at. So, that’s how we got here.

What’s the meaning behind the name of your establishment?

Well, cooking is my love language. That’s how I show people that I love or care about… that’s how I can express it to them because I love to cook. Here, we practice the five love languages: affirmations, physical touch, acts of service… so on and so forth. Y’all can look it up if y’all want the rest. (Laughs) It’s really about changing the trajectory of somebody’s day. Everybody is going through something; it’s hard out here right now. So, when you come in this building, we try to change your outlook on the day. When you leave out of here, you leave here differently than you came in through love.

How did you get started with cooking?

I’m the older sibling. In my era, when we came up, the older sibling is the parent while they are not home. So, I got tired of following instructions on the side of boxes, and I started experimenting with different seasonings, flavors, and sauces. Once my little brother and sister said it was good, I knew I was on to something.

So, what made you want to open an establishment here in Augusta?

Just sharing food with people that we know and strangers from our hometowns.

How has the reception been since you have opened Love Language Kitchen and Lounge?

I’m loving the experience. It is slowly picking up, which is kind of what I want. I didn’t want to get overwhelmed at first, and then, kill your buzz. I want to continuously build that. I want repeat customers. We don’t want you to just come one time and say, “Oh, we tried that.”  I want you to be like, “I go there every Wednesday, or I try something every Thursday.” So it’s really about patience. Patience is key. You can’t rush anything. You have to take your time with it. That’s how you put the love in to it. If you rush, how you really love it, you know? I mean, you have to enjoy the journey.

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So, what type of food do you all serve here?

What type of food you like? (Laughs) We serve everything. I was trained classically in French cuisine, Asian cuisine, Mediterranean cuisine, etc. So, we definitely dibble and dabble. We put flavors together and put in your stomach.

What is the most popular dish? What do most people like to order?

So, we have an appetizer, which we call The Dirty Bird; it’s a deviled egg topped with bacon and shrimp. Then, we have a pasta that’s called the Bob Marley; it’s a spicy jerk Alfredo with grilled chicken, smoked sausage, onions, and peppers. We have another one called The Philly of the Sea; it’s a salmon Philly. It’s made like a Philly cheesesteak, but without the ground beef or chicken. It has salmon instead.

What are the hours for Love Language Kitchen and Lounge?

So, we’re closed on Mondays. Tuesday, we open from 5 P.M. to 10 P.M. Wednesdays and Thursdays, we open from 11 A.M. to 10 P.M. On Friday, we open from 11 A.M. to 11 P.M. Saturday, we do branch only from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M., and then, we close and open back up from 5 P.M. until midnight. Then, our Sundays are our Soulful Sundays, and we are open from 5 P.M. to 11 P.M. We have a live band every Sunday, and it’s a different band every Sunday.

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If people want more information, how can they access that?

So, we’re on Facebook as Love Language Kitchen And Lounge. You can also email us if you want to inquire about anything at lovelanguagekitchenandlounge@gmail.com.

Love Language Kitchen And Lounge is located at 1721 Gordon Highway in Augusta, Georgia.

Videography by Gary Nipple

Music Produced by Danny Ray Smith, Jr.

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